MK Magazine Interviews

DEVILDRIVER / DEZ Interview

By Sara Josephine

The Machinehead/Devil Driver show at House of Blues in Chicago began with many twists and turns and my interview with Dez was looking more and more difficult to come by. My tickets for the show never made it to will call so I had roadies and managers telling me I could only do the interview then I would be “escorted out”. But my night in shining armor, wearing a Motorhead shirt, sporting long black hair and a tribal tattoo on his chin came to my rescue. Dez is what every interviewer hopes for when trying to get truthful information about a band or music in general. Dez turned my whole night around by being open and honest about himself, his band, and the tour. He- and only he- pulled strings allowing me to sit and enjoy the sold out rock show after the interview. Dez proved himself as a real person in a world where ego precedes human compassion, and I’m proud to call him my friend.

DEZ: (talking to manager) Hey, dim those lights over there. Thank you.

SJ: Alright, I want to start talking about the new album first.

DEZ: Cool.

SJ: It seems with this album that musically you guys have gotten to know each other better. I mean, it sounds tighter…. Do you agree with that?

DEZ: DEFINITLY. Definitely. I think any band should have a growth, ya know what I mean? And I think we definitely grew on this one. Plus we had a member change. And since the conception of Devil Driver there’ve been so many member changes because dudes don’t really know if they can tour like we tour. I think right now the whole band- with this album-- this is solidified without a doubt. Everybody’s got their sea-legs on.

SJ: Who was your producer for this album?

DEZ: We used Colin Richardson- who is amazing. I mean, he’s done so many things. I think the stamp of a great producer is that he can put his mark on your album without making you sound like him. He further defined us. He took the guitar sound and he took the drum sound and he just defined what we’ve got now. And we just said we wanted to be different man-- we wanted to step it up- and he really helped with that.

SJ: Why are you always touring with Machinehead? Isn’t this your 6th or 7th tour with them?

DEZ: (laughs) Well, Devil Driver has never toured with Machinehead

SJ: Well, how about you personally….

DEZ: Well, we’re on the same label and we like each other. But, in the beginning Machinehead took Coal Chamber over to Europe and subsequently broke Coal Chamber in Europe because of it. And then over here (the States) Coal Chamber took Machinehead out, and now Machinehead is taking Devil Driver out. I mean, it’s a good time when you know people and you know what their about. I just think it’s a good tour- a good package- so we keep getting together.

SJ: What was the writing process for this new album, The Fury of our Maker’s Hand? Are you a part of writing the music, or do you write the lyrics only?

DEZ: I write all the lyrics- but I do a lot of the arrangement. And I definitely have a say so in the music. I mean, they can bring me 30 songs, and I may narrow it down to only 9 or 10- that we really want to work on, so I have a big hand in that. I also say, ‘hey, this riff in this song is way better than this, let’s get it together.’ But my boys got a handle on that- they work really hard on that. If they need any help arranging then it’s just salt and pepper that I’ll give them.

SJ: Well, the arrangement was absolutely beautiful. It’s really technical. Who are your major influences?

DEZ: I think you’d have to ask these guys. Jeff! (Dez has guitar player come over) This is my lead guitar player, Jeff. Jeff, who are your major influences guitar-wise?

JEFF: Just anything from old school Metallica to Slayer to Sepultura, to Lamb of God and Machinehead. Just a bunch of bands- Pantera, obviously- Superjoint… so much stuff. You just listen to everything and then subconsciously take it in or shut it out.

DEZ: I mean the thing with this band is that there are so many varied influences. I mean I listen to everything from Johnny Cash to Satyricon, so you’re just thrown into a world of that. Same thing with these guys (points to other D.D. members). What I think this band has that’s really cool is everybody plays guitar. So on the record, my drummer and my bass player laid a lot of the guitar work. So everybody was in their doing their thing, so you’re getting a lot of different flavors. Because one guy doesn’t play the same riff the same way. These guys, what they do is pick who can play the best riff the best way and they let that person lay it down- which I think is so so cool—that it’s democratic like that.

SJ: How are the new songs live? How is the response to them?

DEZ: Good. We do ‘Hold back the Day’ and a song called ‘Driving Down the Darkness’ and we’ve also been doing an ‘Ace of Spades’ as well. Phil from Machinehead has been getting up every night jamming it with us- it’s been a good time.

SJ: Lyrically, what’s the new album about?

DEZ: Determination.

SJ: Who are your vocal influences? Because you have such a unique vocal style.

DEZ: Style-wise, obviously I love Lemmy from Motorhead. And an old band from New York called the Crumb Suckers- who was a massive influence on me vocally and if you listen to it, you can hear it. And then lyrically, it’s the blues. I’m like attached to the blues- I listen to the blues all day long… it’s the devil’s music. Johnny Cash, stuff like that- all the story tellers.

SJ: So, are you having fun on tour?

DEZ: I’m having a GREAT time. I’m getting ready to dive into a bottle of wine right now! I can’t believe your boy didn’t show up!! I’m gonna fuckin’ strangle him! (He means the illusive Alex Zander, an old friend of Dez) Sold out and he’s not even here!!

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTENPHASE 3

- by JAMES BOEHLER

In the late spring, early summer of 1991, I walked into one of my favourite record stores, Atomic Records, in Milwaukee. From the moment I walked in the door, a song later known to me as "Vanadium-I-Ching", struck me in a way that no other music had at that time. It was also a very heavy psycho-delicate time, in the aftermath of Gulf War Part One. What's different now from then? A lot and nothing. Many of bands the bands that I had been into at the time had been together for maybe 10 years, or were broken up or dead. The German and truly orchestrated noise group, EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN, had just released a "greatest hits vol. 2" package entitled, "Strategies Against Architecture 2". It contained material from 1984-90 and disc/side 2 was playing. For the duration of my weekly visit, I had transcended into a different consciousness. I couldn't translate the language of my heritage, but oddly enough it felt very familiar to me. I was hooked, so I approached the music pusher who was going to get me straight on my latest fix. The Cooler-than-thou Record Store Clerk had to tell me at least 10 times how to pronounce their name. "EIN-STUR-ZENDE...NEU-BAU-TEN!" I had never heard anything on that level which had surpassed anything considered "industrial" at the time. If there was a true term for that word, E.N. would apply if not on the basis of the own instruments that they create or incorporate into their performances, then on the translation of their name alone: "Collapsing New Buildings!" On the 30th of April, 2004, I arrived a the Metro for what I would later learn was going to be their last show in Chicago, or the last tour of America for that matter. I still wasn't sure who I would be interviewing, though I requested to interview Blixa Bargeld, since the he was the mainline towards the group's existence. Whatever he says goes. I was bit nervous of the possibility of ever meeting him. He's a very educated and well traveled man that has no time for bullshit of any kind. He also is responsible for 2 of the more influential groups of the last 20 years. The Bad Seeds and, of course, Einsturzende Neubauten. Once lead into the bus, I the first face I saw was that of Professor Bargeld. I properly introduced myself and thank him for the opportunity to speak, or more or less, listen to him. He seemed more interested in talking any way. He reminisced about the last time they played the Metro (July 2000), but doesn't remember much because they toured so consistently. He remembers a lot of obnoxiousness in the audience during his monologues and how he feels about it.

BB: People having a conversation in front of the stage...there's 2 ways I can feel about it...cuz I feel that what I'm doing there on stage is not strong enough that I can hold enough (laughs) attention there. Then I should be perfectly correct of saying "Do I interrupt you conversation?" or they're just plain...dumb. I wouldn't say rude cuz I don't think rude is a bad thing.

He remains optimistic about the show and comments on the rain.

BB: It's raining. A lot of people are not going to come that are in doubt about going to the show, so we're probably going to have a thin, quintessential audience. [The shows] We're closing up on 3 hours. We are getting older, but we're getting closer to James Brown proportions...It's a nice life...It's fun life. It is really demanding on your strings.

I mention how EN has become more accessible to their supporters.

BB: We came up with that name, now we have supporters. I don't want to call them fans. It's logical root is in fanatic. We have supporters and that is a good thing, it's nice to have that means of communication. That we we would actually be able to get feedback to get the possibility of seeing what people think about what we're doing. Usually you would make a record. You would mix a record. You would do the promotion. Then you would do the press. You would do all the interview. You would read all the stuff that's going to get written and done about you and then you would wait for this record to be released and you would see how people actually react to that. Nowadays, the way we work, is we do get the feedback immediately when we start playing it and we attempt to record something, we all ready get the feedback and through the whole process of refining that we get the feedback and can easily react to that. Not that it is necessary for us to like modify the particular ideas to...in attempt to please anyone. That is certainly not the idea, but it certainly helps in a sense of gaining any kind of momentum to see that there is potential and see what people see and what we're doing there. So there are things we're doing and there are reactions immediately and they help. That is really nice. I'm definitely in the making of the music and the music has. I think the band are certainly more interested in whatever social impact it can make. I'm much more interested in the production of the music, of what it is more possible to do within the group. What the group dynamic is doing and what the social ideas are working within a group of people in opposite to working in a circuit of the producer, artist, composer and sitting in front of the computer screen. Which is the normal way of making music nowadays. I don't want to criticize technology in that sense...what is accepted as being a band is not really a band because the way music is produced doesn't have anything to do with a social interaction any more. And I'm more interested that and I'm certainly much more interested in creating a particular kind of theatre. I'm much more interested in the fact to make whole movements happen and things happen in sense, as we doing now with Neubauten.org, but see that we can create for whole new types of events and whole new...

Blixia's attention is briefly diverted, but he continues.

BB: The next piece that we're doing with Neubauten.org is [with] the participation of supporters and it's probably going to be about a 10 day long event and that's gonna happen in Berlin and it's gonna end up in the creation of one piece and it's completely outside. The format you couldn't normally sell to a record company...and they're not going to be around much longer. It's not cutting out the middle man. The whole concept, copyright concept, is gonna fail and go to hell.

One of my next topic of conversation are political nature. With the current state of affairs with the rest of the world being pissed off at the U.S., I wondered what Blixia felt about the war in Iraq.

BB: I'm not happy enough to ventilate my political thoughts, thank you. I'm happy to talk about music and joining territories. I can just say that tomorrow's the 1st of May. The International Day of the Fighting Proletarians. Something that Americans tend to forget.

Switching the subject back to music, I ask him about future projects or the possibility of putting out something of his own.

BB: No, we're just doing this. We're doing Phase 2 with Neubauten.org...in Phase 1, we ended up making 1 and a half records. 1 record was only for supporters [and sent out to them.] Then we split up the whole material of into a supporters album and the public album. The public album had about 70% overlap. With the next supporter's album is probably have no overlap. It is only to be for the supporters. Unless you subscribe to Neubauten.org, you're not going to be able to purchase it. Not even purchase it later. We're going to do a DVD as well, which is basically filmed by now, but a lot of editing to do...and we're going to do a performance, only to open to supporters as well. Which is going to be a supporters participation performance that will be recorded and filmed as well. All that is going to make the stash that out of which is gonna form the product that comes out of Phase 2. Also there will be several performances outside of Neubauten, cuz we're turning the whole thing into a veritable television station. The quality, as technology moves on, will rival television quality soon. And we are taking more accent on actually developing a particular broadcast that are gonna be television shows. They're are not gonna be on cable television. (Laughs.) They're just gonna be on Neubauten.org.

Sitting across from me, as he sips some wine, Blixa looks bored and asks if there's anything else I would like to know. One of the 7 questions I had come up with was why he had left the Bad Seeds after being such a prominent force. (Imagine Keith Richards quitting the Rolling Stones...ever?!)

JB: Why after 20...

BB: I was bored. Next question.

Completely derailed, I get back up on the track and discuss his appearances in films. There was this film "Dandy" that was shot in 5 different countries. It starred Blixa, along with Nick Cave, Nina Hagen, Lene Lovich and a few others. I didn't get a chance to tell him that the "video" for EN's "Morning Dew" in the film was great and also one of my favourite covers. There's this scene in the deserts of Cairo in between the pyramids and the Sphinx, sniffing up "Sand", (which is also a cool cover), through a straw. "I was fortunate enough to see a screening of "Dandy", where the director, Peter Sempel, spoke at a college campus in Milwaukee. I started to rave about the film, but Blixa felt differently.

BB: I disagree completely. The best thing about "Dandy" was there was this scene where I'm meant to roll dice(s) and I'm meant to roll 3 sixes...or 2 sixes. I ask how do you want to film that? Do you just want to continuing doing this and you film until there are 2 sixes or are you gonna trick that later? [Peter says] "No, no, just roll...should I show you how to do it?" And he takes the dice and does it! Then I just thought this is weird. This guy could really do it. He took the the dice and he rolled 2 sixes. He was, of course, happy himself that he could show me how to do that. That's bizarre. I don't know how he did it in the end i was really impressed he was able to do that. But he's not a normal director and that was not acting.

A few years back I had read an article where Blixa raved about a German Progressive Rock band called Can. That was all I need to start with "Soundtracks" and work my way through their catalog, up until the late 70s and 80s material.

BB: Music still plays a very important role in the formative years of your youth. It's a soundtrack. When I went to school there was probably 4 or 5 people in my class that i took seriously in what they were listening to. And there were about 26 that I did not take serious in what they were listening to. There was a lot of communication in a small group. It was all very important role in my life and my formative years...my first record was "Atom Heart Mother' and then I moved very quickly away from Pink Floyd to, basically, the German Progressive Rock of the time. There was Can, Kraftwerk, Neu...I had more to do, certainly, with the Clogne side of it than the Berlin cosmic side of it. Ash Ra Templ was not really my cup of tea. I really like the hypnotic and telepathic quality of Can, for example. And I still do and still adore that way of playing. And on the other side of what was influential to me and probably Neubauten, in general, was there was onlu one German rock band that sang in German. Kraftwerk at the times I'm talking about, did not sing...there was no vocals. They were purely instrumental. Can always parked sideways around it by having a black guy singing, that mumbled some kind of English. Or a Japanese guy that faked English. He did. but he employed a lot of techniques of singing without singing, which I always adored as well. The singing in these bands was absolutely unimportant. There was one band that sang in German, which was very unusual in Germany, that a band sang in German. It's hard to believe and hard to understand. but everybody tried to make you believe, in Germany, that rock music was not made to be sang in German. You can't employ that language to this type of music. There was only one band very political, very successful, very influential and also the only and first independent band. They produced, recorded, distributed their own records. They pressed them. They had their own publishing company. All that long before punk. They even had these wonderful sayings on their records. "Tell us about shops that sell this record for more than 50 marks." I saw them play live several times, because something in between The Riot and the great MC5 concert and in between that, Oscillation Field, is what drove me towards making music. Singing...and the contents of vocals and the aspect I love about improvisational quality and experimental quality of German Progressive Rock of the times. That is very comprehensive. Late other things came, but I was preoccupied already that time.

Speaking of which, it is getting closer to show time, when he suddenly drops a bomb.

BB: This is the last tour we're doing in America. We simply cannot afford it any more. It's not getting better. The dollar's not worth anything. Ticketmaster is eating it up all. Next year this is all gonna be Clear Channel. So, what the hell? We're not going on tour here no more. We're going to China next year. we're doing a nice extended China tour. Which is probably going to be really nice and successful, but we're not going to play here any more. It was very difficult for a band that was called, translated, "collapsing new buildings" to go on tour or make records after [9-11]. The record company refused releasing the record. They should not release records by the Byrds, probably.

The rest of the group passes through. Alexander Hacke is one of them. Earlier, before the interview, he did a double take on me, because we had met the last time they played. It was outside the Metro and he was the first to demonstrate the "lighter-as-a-beer-bottle-opener" maneuver and how it worked. That explanation would have taken to long to go into, so a pleasant "hello' suited me fine. They had 20 minutes until they had to be on stage. Anticipating their last show in America, I was satisfied with our discussion, or rather, former Professor Bargeld's lecture. I thanked him once again for his time and said for him to have a good time with tonight's performance. Then I sent into the venue to claim my spot.

Later EN took the stage, with much applause and Blixa opening up with his monologues. As usual, people still chatted and yelled out unintelligible things. Undaunted, he continued:

BB: Tomorrow is the 1st of May, that is the International Fighting Day of the Proletarians and the United States of America is the only country in the world that does not make that a national holiday.

The crowd is struck with indifference or laughter. They came to see a group of men making some noise. Most of them are not interested in politics, they came for a show. It's Friday night and some of them probably have the weekends off and want to have a good time.

BB: We always have a very good time playing in Chicago. We played here from the very beginning of Metro, I believe the first time was 1986. We've played many time and we played many other places here in Chicago even before that. So...this is a farewell. This is the last time we play here.

The supporters of tonight's show are vastly upset.

BB: We simply cannot afford to play the United States of America any longer. It's not getting any better. Not even for the International Fighting Day for the Proletarians. We can't. So, please enjoy this show...as much as we will try our best.

He has one last promise:

BB: The first song will be very low in volume, don't be afraid, we're gonna raise it up to a more admirable volume before the end of the night.

After almost 3 hours of a still transcending show, Einsturzende Neubauten always fail to disappoint. Much of their performances absorb so much of my attention that I find my senses overwhelmed. Very few groups can hold you in one spot for any great length of time. Not a lot of today's music can really doing that any more. With EN, there is so much going on at one time, it's hard to even think about the possibility of being bored. If they played any less than "James Brown Proportions", it wouldn't be as captivating. You're not forced, as so much as a willing participant. Even if all you can do is stand there and look interested in what they are doing. That's all they want. A reaction. To a touch a nerve in "Central Nervous System" and never tire of developing new strategies for and against all types of architecture.

Perhaps I'm wrong in thinking I know how they try to reach people, but it is my belief that they are perfectionists in the vein that King Crimson is. Robert Fripp is not going to put out anything that he is not happy with. Blixa Bargeld and the rest of EN are the same way. Different, but related in the structure of their material, improvisational and experimental performances. Not that I want to compare EN to KC, but both bands fit the definition of what Progressive Rock is all about. It surpasses any other type of "rock" music out there, if even in name alone. You can go back through either band's history and trace the evolution. All bands, and the human artists that are a part of them, get tired and burn out after awhile. Very few of them age well like vintage wine. Einsturzende Neubauten will be one of those groups that only a selected few will understand and appreciate whatever changes they decide to take. As they creep up on a third decade of existence, one will still be wondering what's in store for Phase 3. I've supported them for almost 15 years and I would continue to do so for longer.

Lamb of God Interview with Randy Blythe

By Sara Josephine

Lamb of God has proven themselves once again on the fierce metal tour with Fear Factory, playing to packed venues in every city. Lamb of God’s release of Ashes of the Wake provides listeners with some of the most brutal metal combining, speed, death, and hardcore into one delectable mix. My interview with Randy Blythe was interrupted several times due to the bands recent popularity and soaring album sales. My in person interview was shifted to 3 different time slots, and then I finally got bumped down to a phone interview. Nevertheless, Randy delivered and answered questions about the recent tour, and Ashes of the Wake.

SJ- You have a very strong message of thinking for yourself in the lyrics on the album—was this a theme for the album at all?

RB- I think that’s thematically what I write about in general. The album wasn’t really a concept album or anything, but yeah, it’s definitely basically what I try to get across.

SJ- There’s also a lot of talk about war on the album is this literally a war, or a war with others, or a war within… or a little bit of both?

RB- Well, some of it is literally physical consecration that is going on in various parts of the world and some of it is also, like you were saying, thinking for yourself—the struggle against mediocrity and the apathy that most people in society immerse themselves in. So, it’s literal and metaphoric.

SJ- In the song with the soldier talking about being in Baghdad…

RB- Yeah, that’s the title track

SJ- Right, Ashes of the Wake. Is that an actual soldier—how did you get that?

RB- Yep. Um, our drummer got that somehow through, I think, a news service. We had to pay to use the sample, but yeah, it’s a real Marine.

SJ- Wow. That’s really cool. The album seems to me to be a real drum showcasing album more so than Palaces. Was this intended?

RB- I think it’s maybe just that the drum sound was better and the production brought them out more. I think the bass definitely came out more on this rather than Palaces.

SJ- definitely

RB- … which made me very happy.

SJ- That goes into my next question. I love the new improved sound, but, I was a little bit disappointed to hear that you’re not working with Devin (Townsend) anymore… but how did you like working with Machine?

RB- I loved it. I loved working with Devin and I loved working with Steve Austin. Machine, so far, has been my favorite producer vocally because… that’s his deal. He really loves producing vocals—he gets really excited. Whoever we use to do our next record, whether it be Machine or not, I’m certainly going to fight for him to come in and produce the vocals.

SJ- Cool, so you could have him just produce vocals and someone else come in and produce the album.

RB- Well, that would be my intent, producers are a weird breed. Some of them might be like, “No.� But, we’ll have to see what happens. We still have a long ways to go on the touring cycle of this record, so I’m not even worried about it.

SJ- Right. So, how did you find out about Machine, because I know he does a lot of other types of music besides metal.

RB- Our manager let it be known through whatever industry channels there are that we were looking for a producer for the next record. We were wanting to branch out and try something different. And I guess Machine sent him his reel. It was a management deal I suppose.

SI- How do you feel about getting all this radio airplay in the last month or two. Because you guys have just exploded. We are getting you on our local hard rock radio station which would have never played you a year ago. Would you rather remain underground or do you like all this radio airplay you are getting?

RB- Well, I don’t ever listen to the radio. (Laughs) EVER. So, I don’t know—it’s interesting. It doesn’t bother me. As long as whoever is making the music makes it with integrity and stays true to their intent as it were then you could play it on TRL for all I give a fuck. (Laughs)

SJ- Right (laughs)

RB- I don’t care. Maybe if it gets played on the radio and opens some kids’ minds to more brutal metal, more real stuff, then I suppose that’s a good thing. But really, I don’t really care because I don’t listen to the radio.

SJ- Yeah. Last question. Who are 3 bands who influence the Lamb of God sound?

RB- Top 3. Jesus. That’s kind of an interesting question because we all listen to so much different stuff—I’ll answer for myself.

SJ- Ok.

RB- I Hate God, Napalm Death, and Lynyrd Skynyrd

Shadows Fall VS Chicago (Round One)

Interview by Sara Josephine

“Power Ballads are far from dead, my friends� was one of the final statements Brian Fair, lead singer of Shadows Fall, made to the crowd at the Bottom Lounge. Shadows Fall is a refreshing mix of old school squeals and solos combined with new varieties of riffs and vocals. The band’s heaviness can hang with the best of ‘em, especially when it comes to their live shows. The live force of the band is incredible complete with Brian doing the windmill at every opportunity he can! They remind me a lot of pre-black Metallica meets Testament. And their new album, The War Within is no exception delivering raw power of metal fused with rock n’ roll.

SI: What different influences helped you create The War Within and how do these influences differ from the influences responsible for Art of Balance?

BF: Um, well a lot of our common influences the five of us share is definitely like a lot of the traditional metal bands – Maiden, Judas Priest, the other rock bands like old Aerosmith and things like that– ya know, Sabbath and shit. And on this record we definitely kinda went more the rock n’ roll vibe than say the thrash vibe that was there on Art of Balance. Art of Balance– I mean there’s a whole lot of Testament and shit goin’ on.

SI: yeah...

BF: (laughs) and there’s definitely that on the new record but I don’t think it’s as dominant. I think kinda the slower, heavier, kinda rock riffs are a little more predominant.– Which is funny because then you have a song like Eternity Within which is the thrashiest song we’ve ever done! So it is kinda back and forth. But I’d say that’s the main difference that I notice is just a little more of the rock n’ roll tip.

SI: In Those Who Cannot Speak, is there a story behind that song?

BF: Sort of. It’s just about children dealing with autism or..

SI: --That’s what I thought! that’s crazy....

BF: Yeah, It’s something I’ve dealt with with my niece and nephew who’ve had different forms and mild learning disabilities when it comes to speech– associating objects with language and things like that. And I also read a lot of Faulkner and he always seemed to have characters that kinda had that amazing poetry in there internal monologue but couldn’t speak. And that always intrigued me. The English language in general is pretty limited as far as it’s descriptive powers anyways, ya know, you’re never gonna always get your point across, but to not even be able to pull words to describe something– it’s gotta be so frustrating. And most of the time, these kids are usually very artistic and very poetic in their own way. It’s just that it’s not gonna be in the normal speech patterns and things.

SI: Right, that’s awesome.

SI: The thing that I’ve always noticed about you guys, especially on Art of Balance, because that’s the CD I know back and forth...
BF (laughs) yeah, the new one just came out.

SI: yeah, just came out so I’m still getting to know it. But all the music is at the exact same volume with your voice. Is that something that you really try to do? Because I noticed it on this album to– everything is so clear and crisp and nothing overshadows anything else.

BF Yeah, that’s one thing that Zeuss is really on top of production-wise, when we’re in the studio we want it all to have just that unified sound– you don’t want anything floating out on top. Which is weird because we mix up a lot of different vocal styles but you want them to all have the same amount of impact. We want them to all be at that same level– which is cool though because you have to find a way to make that acoustic break as powerful as the blast-beat part with screams so, yeah, it’s definitely a conscious thing.

SI So, just tell me a little more about Zeuss and why you worked with him again.

BF Zeuss has been involved since our demo days. He was good friend of ours for years– Paul was in a band with him for years before he was in Shadows Fall called Push Button Warfare which also had the old drummer for Hatebreed who played on their records and stuff so we’ve known them forever and he started recording bands with like a little 4-track and shit! And now he’s got as high tech of a studio as you could have! That’s another thing with the way technology is today, you can kinda grow your own studio in a very small space. He’s just a great producer, he gets amazing performances out of people because he really knows how to push you in that way. We’ll probably be working with Zeuss in some capacity FOREVER.

SI Cool. So is this your first time playing here [Bottom Lounge]? Because this space is great.

BF Is it? Cool. No, we’ve played a few other places like, Metro, the Vic, House of Blues, but no, we’ve never played here. It seems like it’s gonna be a fun, in-your-face kinda show! Nice and packed! That’s the way last night was in Cleveland too. It was a good time, no barricade bullshit

SI Are you guys talking to MTV2 again? Because you guys had so many videos off of Art of Balance.

BF We got one in rotation right now for power of eye and eye and we already finished the video for What Drives the Weak. Actually I just got off the phone with MTV News a minute ago, I gotta call them back. For some reason my cell phone fuckin’ WILL NOT work around here to save my life!

SI (Laughs) Yeah, it sucks in this area

BF Yeah, it’s just weird! All of us were having weird.... I would look and I have full bars, but it won’t work!

SI So why are you talking to MTV News?

BF Oh, just an interview.

DANZIG- From This Day Forward…

By Cindi Loftus photos by SuZn Murawaski

Dark, Deep, Hypnotic,

Aloof, Intense, Erotic,

Mysterious, Poetic,

Memorizing, Magnetic.

These words describe the man and the music that is Danzig. Glenn Danzig is the man and his newest CD, Circle of Snakes, is the music. You are all familiar with Glenn’s colorful twenty-five plus year history in the music business. We take it from here into the future with this exclusive interview.

Cindi Loftus: Hi Glenn. I love Circle Of Snakes. How did you prepare to write all these songs? Do you have a ritual you do or a place you go?

Glenn Danzig: Nope. I write them riding in the car or sitting at my desk. Or just laying in bed or where ever. There was never really a set way to do it.

CL: You don’t have to get into a certain mindset? It’s just there

GD: No. At least for me I don’t have to do that.

CL: How long did it take you to write all the songs on this CD?

GD: Uh. I start writing songs as soon as I am done with the last record. And actually even when all the stuff is recorded for a record I’m writing songs, ya know. I just bring ‘em down and show ‘em to everybody.

CL: Do you struggle with lyrics or does it come pouring out of you?

GD: Nothing comes pouring out of me. Sometimes writing a song can be a pain in the ass and sometimes it comes real easy. Sometimes I get the ideas and write it down in five minutes and it’s done. Other times it takes weeks from the time you initiate the arrangement and write the lyrics and rearranging it

CL: I think when people hear the words to a song they tend to apply it to their experience and how it fits their lives.

GD: That’s great. I love when people do that with my stuff. That’s great.

CL: My favorite song on this record is When We Were Dead and when I hear the words, it makes me think of someone trapped in an addiction. Now I have no idea what you were actually thinking when you wrote it…

GD: I wasn’t thinking that. But that’s good that you were. Ya know, of course I am writing a song and you can take it all different ways, you can take it the way I wrote it or you can apply it to yourself and I think it’s great. I love talking to people that buy my records and they tell me what a certain thing means to them. They make it more personal to themselves. That’s the best compliment you can get.

CL: I would love to know what you were thinking about when you wrote it.

GD: Oh God, a million things.

CL: Was it about zombies?

GD: No, no, no, no, no.

CL: It’s not about Purgatory?

GD: Well, in some ways, some of the lines in there are metaphors for Purgatory.

CL: I have to ask this very naïve questions, but how do you make it sound like the instruments are saying When We Were Dead?

GD: I don’t know. (laughs)

CL: Fine. (laughs) In the song Black Angel White Angel are you writing about the classic struggle between good and evil or is there a lot deeper story to it?

GD: It’s a little deeper then that. It’s not so much a struggle as a co-existence. There are a lot of questions in there. Which people can either listen to or not, ya know, you can just listen to the melody and dig it, or they can hear what is actually being said.

CL: I think your words are so amazing. I can’t imagine anyone not listening to them, and I am so glad that you put the words in the liner notes.

GD: We always try to put the words in there. And if we occasionally leave one out, people just go nuts.

CL: You hear about it. For the CD Circle Of Snakes and the tour you have changed one member. Bevin Davies played drums on the CD, but for the tour…

GD: We replaced him.

CL: So Johnny Kelly will be the drummer on the tour.

GD: Johnny has played with Danzig before so it’s kinda like we are bringing him back.

CL: Tommy Victor plays on the CD and on the tour.

GD: That’s correct.

CL: And Jerry Montano plays on the CD and on the tour.

GD: That’s correct.

CL: You are touring for a month in the US, then you are going to Europe?

GD: We take off a couple weeks (between the two) and then we go to Europe. I didn’t really want to go out on tour. But I pushed my other tour back, The Blackest of the Black until next fall. The label wanted me to do a tour for the new record because we hadn’t done one yet. Although I didn’t want to commit to a long tour, I said okay I said I would do a month in American and we will just hit a few of the major cities and that’s it.

CL: Well I’m in Miami, and unfortunately I’m not on your tour.

GD: It’s not really a major city for us anymore, it’s more disco and rap and that kind of shit.

CL: So you are not going to extend your US tour at all? There are a lot of fans that want to see you.

GD: No. Ya know, I don’t know what to tell you.

CL: Can you do a live DVD of this concert? Then we could all see it.

GD: I don’t know.

CL: Who is the hot naked blonde chick in the CD liner?

GD: That’s a model.

CL: I was hoping it was someone’s love interest…

GD: Why were you hoping that?

CL: Just to get some juicy gossip.

GD: Oh (laughs)

CL: So I guess you wouldn’t tell me if it was.

GD: That’s right.

CL: What are the best and worst things about being on tour.

GD: The best thing is the hour and a half, two hours up on stage. The worst part is bouncing around on the bus and not being home.

CL: Do you like all the traveling?

GD: I’m over it. I’ve been doing it my whole life. I see other people who are not sick of it. I’m really over it.

CL: How was it to perform with Doyle?

GD: When he came up for the shows it was really great. Doyle is a really nice guy.

CL: So is he is going to do some of your tour with you?

GD: No, he’s not scheduled to. He might next year in Blackest of the Black. And maybe we’ll come to Miami then, who knows.

CL: Great! Will I offend you if I talk about sex?

GD: No.

CL: The pervert that I am, when I listened to the song Circle of Snakes, there is a line that says, “ writhe around your face like a circle of snakes.� The imagery I was getting was not snakes…

GD: What was it?

CL: It was like a girl sitting on the floor and a bunch of guys around her doing like a bukkake.

GD: (cracks up) Wow, you are telling me a lot about yourself.

CL: Uh oh.

GD: That’s one of the other things I like when people tell me what a song meant to them. I don’t usually do a psychological profile of them. (laughs)

CL: Thank God.

GD: That’s cool cause I never would of thought of that. You can ask your readers if they would have thought of that and let me know. It’s your interpretation. It’s America. You are allowed to do that.

CL: Luckily I am also the one that types the interview, so I don’t have to put any stupid things I say in it! Anyway, you have so many other things going on, so the big question is- Is this officially the last tour for Danzig?

GD: I don’t know. I know that I will do Blackest of the Black this fall. But I don’t know if I’ll do it next year. They want to have it as a yearly thing, and I don’t know if I will do it next year. I do know that I want a break. I finally took a little break and I was able to do Black Aria Part 2. Now I am finishing up the screenplay for this movie I’m going to direct, so it does help finding time to do all this kind of stuff, by taking little breaks.

CL: I think you deserve one after all this hard work.

GD: Yeah I deserve one, I think so too.

CL: Black Aria 2 is classical music?

GD: The first one was like a classical horror sound track style. This one is along the same vein.

CL: When is it coming out?

GD: It’s supposed to come out early summer.

CL: Do you like working without your band?

GD: Yeah. (laughs)

CL: So you are not touring with Black Aria 2?

GD: No, I’d have to get a whole orchestra and I don’t think that’s feasible.

CL: Can I talk you into doing a live DVD for Black Aria 2? You’d just have to get the orchestra for one day.

GD: Oh no. I don’t know about that.

CL: I’m having no influence here.

GD: Actually I might do a music video for one of the songs on Black Aria 2. It is about Lilith, the first wife of Adam so it would have girls being dark and seductive.

CL: Well I know some girls who like to be naked and dark and seductive. If you’d like any of them let me know.

GD: Yeah sure, send me the pictures! (laughs)

CL: The name of your comic book company, I want to make sure I am saying this correctly VER-O-TIK? Like erotic with a “V�

GD: Yes, “very erotic� is what it is short for.

CL: So you write all the stories for your Verotik comic book line?

GD: In the beginning I had lots of different writers writing with me. Like they would they would do their stories I would do mine. Eventually we honed it down. Pretty much we just publish how we want to now. When ever we have a story to tell. So I write all the stuff now.

CL: And you are also writing the screenplay for Gerouge. You are adapting it from a comic book you wrote?

GD: Yeah. I wrote this story along time ago about turn of the Century in New Orleans in 1904. I adapted it into comic book form around 1997 or so. And we were talking to a production company who really dug our stuff and wanted to produce some of our stuff. So we gave them the books. And we decided this was something we really wanted to do and it was Gerouge.

CL: Does Gerouge mean something in French?

GD: The Angry Red Eye. So I’ve been adapting the screenplay for it and it’s almost done.

CL: Is the movie going to be done with computer animation or real people?

GD: Real people doing real crazy things.

CL: Is it going to be a full-length feature film?

GD: Yeah.

CL: And you have to write the sound track for it?

GD: I’m pretty sure I’ll write the sound track.

CL: I know there are so many things about you that fans want to know. Can I ask some crazy questions?

GD: Yeah. Whether I answer them or not is a totally different story.

CL: Who did you vote for President?

GD: I don’t vote.

CL: How do you feel about the war in Iraq.

GD: War is war. I think if you are going to go to war you should kill everybody; otherwise don’t go to war. I don’t like when people pretend that war is like this little game and there are rules and everything. There are no rules. It’s war. You are sending people over to kill and don’t complain when they kill.

CL: How do you feel about organized religion?

GD: Usually that’s what fucks up religion. I guess religion in itself is for people that are weaker and they need something to bolster them and make them feel like it’s all worth something. I guess (for them) religion is a good thing. But when people come in and make it like a business, which is organizing it, that’s usually when it gets all fucked up.

CL: What is your philosophy on life?

GD: Have fun before you die! Accomplish the things you want to accomplish. Be creative and enjoy everything in life that there is to enjoy.

CL: What is the worst thing that anyone ever said about you?

GD: I don’t know, but I am sure there are tons of them. But people can say whatever the fuck they want. I don’t give two shits.

CL: Do you have any pets?

GD: Yeah, I have a bunch of cats.

CL: Cats?

GD: Yeah. Meow, cats.

CL: Of course I picture you having snakes.

GD: No I don’t like snakes. I mean as pets. When I was a kid I had snakes. But a big snake like a boa, even though you think it’s your friend, it would never be your friend. And if it could it would eat you.

CL: Aren’t there a lot of people like that too?

GD: Yeah, that’s what I’m saying and I don’t have them staying at my house. I mean I know a lot of people who like snakes. I don’t hate snakes. They actually taste good. (laughs) But a snake is not an animal like a wolf or a cat that will bond to you. The only reason a snake comes near you is for your body warmth.

CL: No love.

GD: It’s not going to love you. It possibly could eat you if you are small enough and if it gets big enough it will eat you. So I don’t hate them. I just wouldn’t have them as a pet.

CL: Okay for your ten-bonus point question…

GD: What do I get for the bonus points?

CL: What ever you want! Tell me where this quote comes from“ Artists are very sensitive not like journalists who have elephant skin.�

GD: Well it’s not from me….

CL: No. It’s from a movie I watched today in your honor. I know you love the movies directed by Dario Argento and I found one of them called Deep Red.

GD: Oh Deep Red. Yeah. I have it. Another really good one if you like those kind of movies is Bird with Crystal Plummage.

CL: I’ll check it out. I know you like horror movies.

GD: I don’t like all horror movies. I like good horror movies.

CL: What’s your favorite horror movie of all time?

GD: I don’t know because horror is defined differently by different people. So it could be anything.

CL: Have you watched any recent horror movies that you thought were good?

GD: I like a lot Japanese horror movies because they are much scarier then American horror movies. The last cool American horror I saw was Darkness Falls.

CL: I didn’t see that

GD: They take the legend of the tooth fairy and make her this evil being that scares children.

CL: That sounds cool. Speaking of Evil, how is Evil Live, your indie label going?

GD: It’s going good.

CL: Have you signed anyone yet?

GD: No, I’d like to, but the label that distributes us says they are only interested in established talent. So if I do it I have to find another distributor to do it. There are a couple bands that I want to sign.

CL: So do you think you will just do your own thing and sign some bands?

GD: Yeah, I think I might go somewhere else to do distribution for those that I sign on my own.

CL: I went on the Internet and found some of your fans. I asked them to send me the one question that they would ask you if they could. I got a lot of responses. Do you want to hear a couple?

GD: Not really. (laughs) Fans that are on the internet are out of their minds. They are not normal fans.

CL: Okay how about just two- Here let me read you what one guy said, “Glenn Danzig will die never getting the credit he deserves. He’s a genius, far ahead of his time. Ask him about his blues project he's trying to launch with Jerry Cantrell.�

GD: Jerry and I worked together on Danzig 5 and he’s a really great guitar player. He’d be perfect for this project so we’ve been talking about doing it and trying to make room in our schedules to make it happen.

CL: Next one- “Ask him about his best groupie experience?�

GD: My best groupie experience. Oh wow. I don’t know really.

CL: There’s too many?

GD: Yeah that could be.

CL: You are so non-committal! Is there anything we didn’t talk about that you want to publicize?

GD: No not really. I hate talking about myself.

CL: But you have so much experience in the music world you have no choice!

GD: I guess.

CL: Alex Zander, the Publisher of MK Magazine, says that he’s been to the AVN awards and conventions for the last two years and he’s been surprised he hasn’t seen you there. You don’t attend?

GD: No I don’t attend. Is he the guy whose uncle is Anton LeVay?

CL: Sorry I don’t know. Do you have friends within the adult industry?

GD: I do. Yes.

CL: Who?

GD: A whole lot of them. Of course I know a lot of those people.

CL: Your not naming names. One last question. One song on Circle of Snakes is called Night, BeSodom. What does BeSodom mean? Is it the girl’s name?

GD: (laughs) I’ll just leave it for you to figure out.

CL: Come on!

GD: (laughs) You’ve got a pretty active imagination.

CL: Well I can break it apart and kinda figure out what it might mean. But is it her name?

GD: No.

CL: Is it something you are doing to her?

GD: It’s something that gets done.

CL: Okay. Well, we’ll get this done, with one more question. Do you have a message for your fans?

GD: Yeah. Thanks! I appreciate the support. Hopefully you like the stuff I do. I’m not going to change.

Interview with Jerry Montano Bass Player For DANZIG 2005

Jerry Montano is the extremely talented bass player on the Circle of Snakes record and currently on tour in the US and Europe with Danzig. I got the chance to ask him a couple quick questions....

How much time did you spend in the studio to record COS? We spent some time in our rehearsal studio in Hollywood writing before our European run. It was a good time. Working with Glenn is always cool, but being there through the whole process of a new album and being a part of his vision was the shit. I would say within a few months it was being tracked.

Tell me about When We Were Dead.

When We Were Dead was one the first songs written for C.O.S. It’s one of my favs, I wrote a really cool dark Sabbath type bass line for the verses. Glenn’s writing is amazing. Being there as it all came together is something that raises the hair on the back of your neck. Once the man sings it’s all over.

What is your favorite song on COS and why?

My favorite song on the record is all of ‘em! But I would have to say Black Angel, White Angel, NetherBound, My Darkness, 1000 Devils Reign....

What is the best thing about being on tour with Danzig?

The best thing about touring with G.D. and the band is we are ALL friends. We always have a crazy time. The fans screaming their guts out and losing they’re fucking minds is the shit too. STAY DEAD.

My Ruin - Tairrie B. Bad Interview

by Alex Zander
Photos from www.myruin.loudside.com

My initial encounter with the focus of this article was in 1996 when I was hanging out w/ Life of Agony and Type O Negative at the Vic Theater in Chicago. Joey from LOA took me down front to watch what he told me would be a band he knew I'd dig. The band was Manhole. The singer was a killer red headed super vixen dressed in skintight black leather pants and a T-shirt. She had great pipes and screamed with agony as she sang the chorus to her songs and the band had a nice groove. Her songs were angry and I thought the name of the band was an equally bold statement. Unfortunately the only release by the band I ever got my hands on was the single for "Victim" a song addressing the horror of rape, which also included "Clean "and "Kiss or Kill."

Tairrie B has previously worked as a solo artist a white protege of rap producer/svengali Eazy-E and her first album, 'Power Of A Woman' is now highly collectable. In 1990 her solo debut stalled and she elected to concentrate instead on music with a similar thematic ethos but a more aggressive bent, Manhole a hard rock group from Los Angeles, California. (Who changed their name to Tura Satana for legal reasons) With Scott Ueda (guitar), Rico Villasenor (bass) and Marcelo Palomino (drums), worked in territory widely analogized as 'post-hardcore metal'. Tairrie B continued to rap as well as sing over the backdrop, which also contains trace elements of hip-hop rhythms, but it is doubtful whether those unacquainted with the singer's past confused Manhole with anything other than a ferocious hard rock group. The group split-up in late 1998, allowing Tairrie B to concentrate on a solo career recording as My Ruin. With My Ruin, Miss B remains one of the more influential members of the female metal scene. Tairrie B will be bringing out a book pretty soon in which she will document her life, her experiences together with new photos, titled "God Wants a Piece of My Ass".

After receiving My Ruins Speak and Destroy CD last fall I was thrilled to rediscover the woman who 5 years prior had perked up my ears was still out there making music. To my dismay, she enjoys greater exposure across the sea than she does in her native country. But isn't that how shitty our media exposure is stateside. I immediately dove into the record and till this day it remains in my top 3 as what I love to listen to. The songs are brutally honest and from a female perspective. But at the same time very human and it's the very human emotion that speaks to me. In fact in many ways I identify with her feelings, and raw emotion, anger and pure unrelenting energy. I just flip flop the gender. I took the CD into the WJKL studio (where we were broadcasting from at that time) and we played her take on the Soft Cell classic "Tainted Love". Only because of it's electronic relation to our show and because it was just about the only radio friendly cut on the record. (I think it only had one F word.)

Now with the long awaited US release of A PRAYER UNDER PRESSURE OF VIOLENT ANGUISH we anxiously await the second chapter of My Ruin.
In her own words - A PRAYER UNDER PRESSURE OF VIOLENT ANGUISH is 14 songs strong with two short spoken words segments, which appear at both the beginning and end of the album. SELECTED PRAYERS include BEAUTY FIEND, STICK IT TO ME, LETTER TO THE EDITOR and POST NOISE REVELATION which confronts the critics and media head on and straight up. Speaking of which, we have recorded our own tribute song called ROCKSTAR (dedicated to the late LYNN STRAIT of the band SNOT). There are tracks that deal with my own love / hate dichotomy of religion and relationships such as HEARTSICK, SANCTUARY, HEMORRHAGE, LET IT RAIN and MASOCHRIST (which will be released on the single only). It also boasts a long overdue duet featuring JESSICKA from JACK OFF JILL appropriately titled MISS ANN THROPE as well as covers of DO YOU LOVE ME? by NICK CAVE and the classic BLACK FLAG song MY WAR (which features Mick on duet vocals). We decide on these particular songs to cover because they were very inspirational to us while writing the album. Tairrie B from the website www.myruin.loudside.com

Also available from My Ruin is the live recording "To Britain with Love and Bruises". Which includes 11songs from both albums of material.

Be it the Old Testament, the Live Testament or the New Testament. Tairrie B remains a True Testament of one thing about the entertainment industry in the United States. We're no longer trendsetters, the masses buying the music that is being promoted by the labels here are sheep being spoon-fed bullshit. That's right Middle America is eating shit, when what they should be eating are her words. Bitter as they can be, Miss B speaks the truth. She's an amazing singer, messenger, poet, a fun interview and excuse me for saying, is pretty easy on the eyes. (Photos are a testament to that.)

Alex Zander - I just got done looking at your site.

Tairrie B - Oh, really? We haven't updated the My Ruin one We've got all our old stuff we haven't updated it with the new. We have a new record coming out in September and like a whole new band and all this new shit.

AZ Something different than what I have? I just got the "Speak and Destroy".

TB -Oh, you did? Yeahhh!

A.Z. So, there's something different coming out?

T.B. Yeah, I'm not supposed to talk about it I was told but we have another record coming out in Europe! (laughs) on the 4th of September.

A.Z. Okay, I'll go find some way to get that out of somebody.

T.B. Oh we got to get it to you cause it's like the fucking bomb, it's the real deal.

A.Z. Well, I was thrilled when I got this in the mail on Monday, "Speak and Destroy.", I saw Manhole open for Type O.

T.B. You saw Manhole open for Type O!

A.Z. Yeah, and I got one of your band members to give me a CD single (Victim) and I tried to track you down through the label after that and wanted full length and couldn't find it.

T.B. Ucchh, Let me tell you, Noise Records the fucking pit of my stomach!

A.Z. Really? Are they still around or something?

T.B. The worst fucking label in the world! We were on tour with Type O Negative and the label couldn't get the record into stores to save our lives and we could have sold so many records.

A.Z. Yeah, that tour was high profile.

T.B. It was a joke, we have to order our own records and sell them at shows. We would pull into a town and I'd see an ad in the paper for our record at Tower Records and I'd go in there and say " Hi, I just want to invite you guys to the show tonight and thanks for working the record". They'd be like "We don't even have any of your records." There's this ad in the paper and people are coming in and I'm like "WHAT?!?" Oh, it wasjust so fucked up.

A.Z. Well, that explains it because I couldn't find it anywhere either.

T.B. No one could, we couldn't find our own record. We were so irate, it was such a nightmare.

A.Z. I bet, so what happened with Manhole?

T.B. The story was, Manhole went to record our second record "Relief to Release" and we ended up getting sued for the name. There was a band in Texas called Manhole, that we met actually for a brief drama filled second when I was on stage with Type O Negative, too and they sent some people down to, like, give us shit and of course it turned into a horrible girl fight and we were slapped with a lawsuit and they owned the name. We thought we owned the name and we had a record coming out and no name we thought oh fuck what are we going to do? I was watching Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill one night and I thought Tura Satana that's a pretty rad name, Let's use that! So, we just ended up using that and we got it copyrighted she never copy wrote the name and we did it and we put the record out and then after we recorded it, which was like pulling teeth with our ex-guitar player. We had just had a lot of problems with our guitar player Scott it was just not cool at all, especially touring and we finally got to the point where either I'm leaving or he's leaving, one of us is going. We had our first headlining tour booked in Europe, it was a really huge deal for us, we were gonna headline for our first ever time and he pulled some bullshit and I was just like, "I can't deal with this anymore, you all wonder why we're not making it like we should because no one cares."

I said he's gotta' go or me and we let him go and within two weeks we had this new guy in, Brian, from this band called Spitkiss that were up in San Jose. He came down, met us, knew the shit we brought him in and he went on the road, toured with us everything was great. We did a couple of tours, we did the states, it was really fun it wasn't like some big tour, but it was really fun. Then we did Europe twice and we played all the festivals and everything. Toward the end of it things were just really weird in our band, I mean not cool, some things happened and I just one day had enough and I quit. I said I'm over it and I felt really bad for Brian because he had changed his whole life and moved down here and came in. But you know, it's like having three husbands. It's hard, and it's really hard when certain people don't respect you at all.

A.Z. So you just reformed with My Ruin as an all-new band?

T.B. No, I didn't reform what I did was I quit the band and I just kinda' was like, well, I'm not sure what I want to do at this point. I know I don't want to be in another band right now, you know, I don't want to get into that. People were calling me saying why don't you sing for our band? I was like "Awww, it's not what I want to do.". The funny thing is, right after that I got invited to the Kerrang! Awards, as a presenter, and we actually won an award for best independent band. I'm like, standing there going "Great, I just quit the band." No one knew it yet, and I didn't want the press to know, we didn't want anyone to know, we kept it really quiet. I came home and after that a big scene went down at the awards because my label Noise Records were there, but they wouldn't even fly me out to accept this award and they knew about it. It was unbelievable shit, a big huge scene from the stage to Noise Records to Green Day starting the standing ovation because I dissed my record company and I guess they thought that was very punk. It was kind of funny and somebody happened to be there from a label out in Europe called Snapper and called my manager and said, "Let's do a deal, let's give her a record, let's let her do whatever she wants." I couldn't believe it, because I was speaking to different people like at Roadrunner who were saying "well why don't you demo us this?" and I thought you know, I just don't feel like going and finding a band. I'm just not in that head frame right now, I just got out of a band, it's like breaking up with someone. So, I basically met with a lot of people, the guys in Downset, I used three of the songs we had written towards the end of Tura Satana with Brian that were hit songs and I had met these guys in England, this crew called Bushak (the do remixes)? We had a lot of fun and did some weird kind of different, I don't know, industrial kind of weird spoken word stuff. I met this girl Melanie who was a guitar player through a friend and I thought her stuff was really cool so I ended up doing a little collage record that I thought was really killer. I thought, this represents who I am right now, I'm feeling a lot of things, it's all my influences packed into one. My band would never see doing something like "Close Your Eyes". They would never even want to even touch something like that, I just thought this is my experimental project right now and it's hard you know and I talk about it in the past tense because of the fact that I just did a new record and so it's kind of hard to do all of the U.S. interviews because it's a year later.

A.Z. Right, I just noticed that, this thing was recorded in March of 1999.

T.B. Yeah, and we changed it, we took two songs off and put two songs on, "Fever of Mass Christ?" we re-mixed "Tainted Love" and we did a live version of "Preacher" so we put a couple extra things on there. It is really difficult for me because it is a year later and my head is in the new record and I've got a new band that wrote an entire record with me as a band. Now I am actually in a band.

A.Z. So, is it going to have a different name?

T.B. No, it's My Ruin, it's actually now a band. I don't know if you got press photos, but...did you get photos?

A.Z. I got two, one of you and one with three.

T.B. The one with three, the guy next to me is my guitar player, he wrote the new record and the girl, Megan, is our bass player and she toured with me on My Ruin last year off that record and we kept her and we use Chris from Downset - he actually drummed on the new record because Marcela, my old drummer, had come on the road with me for My Ruin last year in Europe and played. It's very difficult to explain to people, I'm having a lot of trouble with it just getting around my headspace of where I'm at, you know?

A.Z. Will it be as emotional as this one, as personal?

T.B. The other record is completely amazing, it sounds like a Southern..it sounds heavy very Pantera-ish. It's all really heavy. Definitely got to get you a copy of it, check it out.

A.Z. I was happy to get this in the mail, I had no idea what you were doing I guess I tried to get the Manhole record from Noise and I couldn't get anything from their publicity and I couldn't find it the stores. Then I read about the name change to Tura Satana, which was cool, then I just didn't know where you went, I didn't know you were touring and had another record out.

T.B. Yeah, it's been pretty crazy, we've done all the festivals in Europe, the band is pretty big, My Ruin is pretty fucking big in Europe and Tura Satana got really big over there too. That was the problem, we stayed we could support ourselves touring over there, we had big, huge crowds and it was like a completely different world for us, you know they got the record in the stores over there and no one ever did shit for us in The States. This record even, I mean I went back with this and our first show as My Ruin and we played the Reading and Leeds festival and it was just amazing and completely different. I'm hoping it's going to get a good reception in The States, but it's really hard for me because there's some electronic stuff on there and I don't do any of that at all right now. We brought out a keyboard player and we had a lot of crazy things go on when we toured that record in Europe but we didn't have a deal in The States until just recently. I was like, I wasn't even sure I wanted this record to come out here just because I'm onto the new one and I was like, it's a year later, how am I gonna do interviews without talking about the new record? I mean, you know, that's where my head's at. So, it's kinda' weird, I've gotta' have my band that just did this one come and tour in The States with me now and do songs off this one. It's such a confusing little thing, but it probably be all good, so…

A.Z. So that comes out you said in September and that's in Europe?

T.B. Yeah, It's called "Prayer Under Pressure of Violent Anguish". If you look at the Snapper site, you can hear some of it and download some of it, it's www.snappermusic.com and go to the My Ruin part and you can see some of the stuff and download some of it on there.

A.Z. Do you feel like talking about any of the lyrics on there?

T.B. Absolutely.

A.Z. I've only had it for two days, but I've been playing it and playing it to friends and I actually sat down today and read some of it. "June 10th" what's that about, who is that about?

T.B. "June 10th", why did you pick that song?

A.Z. That's the kind of stuff I like, I like Type O Negative kind of stuff where stuff is really personal. That's the first one I wanted to ask you about.

T.B. What do you think it's about?

A.Z. It kinda' sound like somebody led you on and fucked you over.

T.B. (Clears throat) Yeah, he sings for a very prominent rock band, (laughs) it's the same thing that "Blasphemous Girl" and "Absolution" are about.

A.Z. Same situation, and same person?

T.B. Yeah, it's definitely done, I think that "Speak and Destroy" has a lot of different... everybody that kind of knows me knows that I'm not quite the hidden agenda girl, I kinda' just say it. In "Blasphemous Girl" I say dry lung vocal martyr" and anyone who knows the metal scene will know exactly who that is.

June 10th is sort of the tribute to the person in a good way, "Blasphemous Girl" is kinda' my…. I use a lot of religious imagery in my writing you know I like to, sort of, people will take it the way they want, but I like to kind of talk about God as someone I know, maybe and even the Devil at times. I sort of use myself in many aspects as The Mary Magdalene/Virgin Whore thing, I like to use certain connotations in certain ways and "Blasphemous Girl" is more of my attack against this person, I'm being blasphemous against this person who taught me about this or that and saying God wants a piece of my ass, meaning I know what you want from me and I'm coming out against you and against this in this relationship. Then June 10th is sort of the okay now I 'm going to look at it and I'm going to be loving toward it and I'm gonna be a little more.... the end part that I'm saying is actually letters that were written to me, excerpts from letters that were written to me, people think that it's something I'm saying to someone. All the artwork on the record sort of goes around the song "June 10th".

A.Z. Yeah, I saw the one line from it twice in there, so.

T.B. The hotel on the back, the girl on the cover ËœMiss June 10th and There's a note in the record from the person from that day and it's kind of the most strongest emotional song on there but yet in a different way. I guess "Absolution" is dealing with the purgatory aspect of it the love/hate with it and I don't know, it's kind of weird, my lyrics are always very personal.

A.Z. The two songs I was going to ask you about you answered in the same question so that's great. I didn't realize they were tied together, but to me it seems like the whole album just ties together. What about "Cosmetic?".

T.B. "Cosmetic" is kind of a way I was feeling one night looking at a fashion magazine. I don't know, I mean people make so many comments about the whole issue, back where I started from, Ëœwhy aren't you doing anything like you were doing when you were in Manhole? Speaking out for women's rights or talking about how the media portrays women or abortion or all the issues I had touched on in Manhole, and I think if you don't grow, you become stale. Now I still support everything I've ever written about and ever talked about, you know what I mean, that's how I feel and I always will. "Cosmetic" I think was me growing up a little bit and looking in the mirror and talking about how I felt blessed are we among women, and it's kinda' like hey you know what, I'm not some model, I'm not some beauty queen, I am who I am and every girl should feel that way when she looks in the mirror, you know and be happy for what you have and be proud of who you are, no matter if you're 10 pounds overweight or 100 pounds overweight. Be beautiful to yourself first and everyone will think you're beautiful. It's just everything is so cosmetic and fake, there are bands that think that you need to put a fucking mask on to get up there and be whatever, I'm, like I don't really need to have anything on to do it. "Sycophant" is definitely about those bands, I'm not dissing Korn in any way, I'm dissing the bands that have come up trying to be Korn, trying to be all those things like children of the Korn-fed styles. Throw on a pair of Adidas and all that crap and jump on the bandwagon. I just find it repulsive and I find it kind of sad. I've grown up with most of these bands out of L.A. and one minute I see them playing one way and the next minute they're in a magazine wearing tons of makeup and fucking body makeup, talking about they're crazy and posing like they're lunatics, and I'm like gimme' a fucking break.

A.Z. (Laughs)

T.B. That's some weak shit and kids shouldn't buy into that, they should see through that, they need to see that those people don't give a damn they're just writing bullshit lyrics that aren't....you know I wanna' say something. I don't care if I sell a million records or make a million dollars, but I do care about when a girl comes up to me at a show and says ËœWow, when I heard a song you sang it made me feel like this because I can relate to this or whatever, that makes me feel good. That's how I feel when I hear Nick Cave or P.J. Harvey, they're not fucking superstars, but they're superstars to me because they've inspired me.

A.Z. Great! Why did you pick "Tainted Love" of all songs to cover?

T.B. The truth is, I wanted to cover a Nick Cave song, which we do on the new album by ironic chance, but I wanted to and I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to do at the time, I wasn't with the right people I needed to be with to cover it . I was in England and I wasn't feeling right, we were driving to the studio somebody had this 80's tape and "Tainted Love" came on and I go God, I love this song! I love that line "sorry I don't pray that way" and I was thinking, that is so me. It just hit me, and I thought this fucking song sums up saying to someone exactly how I feel " It's time you leave, it's time I leave, it's fucking...your love has been tainted, you've tainted me." I know what it's about but you interpret lyrics to your own interpretation.

A.Z. Exactly.

T.B. That's what I think is so cool and a lot of people have given me shit for covering that song , believe me.

A.Z. I've played that on the radio already. It was the first song last week on our syndicated radio show MK ULTRASOUND. That will be playing actually on Loud Radio out there around 9:00 next
Sunday, they syndicate it out West. I talked a little bit about your history With Manhole and Turf Satan, it was a kicking song to play something New, for us anyway.

TB Cool thank you for playing it!

A.Z. Oh, my pleasure.

T.B. It's a weird thing, because I was like everyone's going Ëœokay she's jumping on the bandwagon-"Cars ","Blue Monday"' the vibe, whatever, I'm not doing a duet with the singer from Soft Cell, and I don't think I'm trying to completely recreate "Tainted Love" the way it was, you know?"

A.Z. I don't think you did at all, I liked your take on it.

T.B. I wanted it to be a little different, a lot of people are like well you fucking ruined the song. That's the whole purpose of doing a cover, you cover it the way you would cover it, people don't realize that. I'm not trying to dog them but like when I hear "Cars" by Fear Factory , I'm like Gary Numan's on there.

A.Z. It sounds just like it.

T.B. What's the point, I don't really get it, you know what I mean, it's like okay great, I want to hear you do a cover of how you would do it.

A.Z. At least you didn't do "Spin Me Round" like everyone else is.

T.B. Oh, Jesus are you kidding?

A.Z. I can't believe how many versions of that came out this year.

T.B. Oh, yuck. On the new record we have a hidden track, we covered Black Flag- "My War" and "Do You Love Me" by Nick Cave. That song is so beautiful.

A.Z. I can't wait to hear that. I love Nick Cave.

T.B. So do I.

A.Z. That's good stuff. I didn't know anything about the Easy E stuff and one day I was sitting with- do you know Thomas Thorn from The Electric Hellfire Club?

T.B. Yeah.

A.Z. We were talking about Manhole, and he had mentioned that you were- he's like that's one of Easy E's girls...

T.B. Whaaaat?

A.Z. referring that you did something on that label, not the other way.

T.B. I was like, wait a minute.

A.Z. This is when they were opening for Godflesh and I actually didn't get to read any press on it until now until this thing that you wrote, your own bio/ press kit, which is good it's more personal.

T.B. There's a thing on the website all about it with pictures of him it's under Stigmata and there's all that rap stuff under there.

A.Z. I'll look for it. I didn't ever hear any of the rap stuff that you did.

T.B. Well, the album was called "Power of a Woman" and it was released on his label and Easy is on it Everlast is on it, Dr. Dre is on it, the D.O.C there are a lot of people that are on it. Then I ended up writing a second record and I worked with Salt N Pepa I did a lot of great shit, and at the end of it and I had a band come in called Sugartooth who were on Geffen and I did a song called "Running with the Devil" we covered the Van Halen thing and did a crazy rock version of it and I sort of decided, you know what, I need to be with a band. This world, a lot of shit went down with me in that world that was pretty heavy duty and I just didn't feel right anymore there and so I stole all my tapes from my label and locked them up and I wouldn't let them release the second record. They wouldn't let me out of the contract, and about a month before Easy died he called me for a meeting and gave me the money he owed me. He told me he was very sorry for keeping me under contract, he said a lot of things to me and I didn't know in his mind what was going on. I didn't realize he had AIDS and he was gonna die, I didn't realize anything, I thought it was just really strange how I hadn't had anything to do with anybody at the label for a really long time. I formed Manhole, but couldn't really do anything, it was in the early stages. He handed me my contract and he said, "You're free to go, here's the money I owe you and I hope you have a great life." He told me he thought I was kickass, I always stood up to everybody, I never took any shit and I wasn't some ho on the label and he respected for that. A month later, I'm driving down the street and I hear a letter being read on the radio station rapper Easy E has issued saying he has AIDS and a week later he was dead. I was like oh my God, It just all blew me away. That guy definitely gave me my start, he signed me and he taught me how to stand up for myself, I mean, Jesus Christ, the N.W.A. camp that's not the easiest group of people. Being a little white girl on that label you better stand up for your shit or your gonna get fucked over big time, a lot of crazy shit happened on that label.

A.Z. What year was that?

T.B. It was 89 and the record came out in 90. It was funny because it had two videos on MTV I hosted Yo MTV Raps with Dre and Ed Lover .I did all that, I'm wearing like a track suit, It was really funny I was blonde, platinum blond, I looked like what Korn looks like when they do this thing now.

A.Z (Laughs)

T.B. That's totally my past and it's hard to even relate to that now. I'm putting together a book right now, I've been working on for about a year and it's a book from 1990-2000 a girl's sort of journal through music. It's journal entries, collages, art, letters from people, stories, I'm having a writer, from Metal Hammer, actually do a thing with me through the whole book and it's going to be called "God Wants a Piece of My Ass". A photo journal of a blasphemous girl and it's got very religious overtones through it and sacrilegious overtones it's very crazy but it's very truthful and it tells a lot of stories in it too.

A.Z. Do you ever get any shit over some of the imagery and some of the lyrics that you use on the religion front?

T.B. I get more shit over, like, pictures I've taken if I've posed in a magazine and I'm wearing something I get more shit like "why is Tairrie B…." I'm like oh please, it's not like I'm in Playboy gimme' a fucking break.The clothes don't make the woman; the woman makes the clothes.

A.Z. Right.

T.B. I think people are a little bit confused about my religious "thing". I think they don't know if I'm a Jesus freak or a Devil worshiper from one minute to the next, and if you walk in my house you wouldn't know either because there's tons of both and I 'm just very drawn to the spiritual side and the dark side sort of somewhere in between. I find both fascinating. I find the Bible fascinating and I find the Satanic Bible fascinating. There's something you can get in each, to say that you can't get something from every religion is crazy, there are so many religions out there. If people have a problem with it, that's their problem, I think Jesus is way more scary than the Devil, all this Satan shit is funny.

A.Z .( Laughs)

T.B. Tura Satana is not... oh is that what that's about you're Satan worshipers now? That wasn't what we were about, look, I can use that imagery and not be a Cradle of Filth chick, okay? I think Marilyn Manson did the whole Devil thing there are so many bands out there that are all neato. If I do a shirt that says Jesus is a rock star, I'm gonna get more shit from that than something about Satan because it's scarier to people. An Evangelist is scarier to people. That terrifies people way more for some reason.

A.Z. More threatening, yeah. You talked a little bit about bands like Korn and that, do you think there's too much of that rap/metal thing flooding...

T.B. Honey, when I was doing rap/metal years ago, I was being told "this will never work". I mean, Cypress Hill guys even told me "this thing will never Work" I look at them now doing that song they have going oh, really? Its funny I just see all these bands popping up out of nowhere jumping on that same thing and I don't want to be a part of it; I don't feel a kinship with it at all. I felt a kinship with certain bands in my town like Snot and Human Waste Project and certain people were around when we were around and Downset .I really love Downset and I think they do the rap/rock thing the best and they've gotten the least amount of publicity, respect, or acknowledgement and I think they definitely do it the best. When I look at someone in a red baseball cap flipped backwards talking about "I'm gonna break, gimme' something to break" Give me a break, I think it's complete crap.

A.Z. There's too much of it, it was good at first, but when that's all you hear and it's all you get to see on MTV.....

T.B. Every band, there is just so much more music out there! I mean gimme' a fucking break, the new "Bomb Pop" record is amazing and why isn't that on MTV? Why isn't there a video for them on MTV? There are so many bands out there that are so incredible and there is just no vehicle for them, they have to remain underground. I can't turn on MTV and watch Papa Roach and Static X, I can't do it; I just can't stomach it. I'm not dissing the people, I'm just saying I can't watch it.

A.Z. Oh yeah, they're nice guys, I think that Static X is funny actually.

T.B. I think it's very hysterical because I grew up with all these people- well I grew up a little bit before them in the scene and then they all kinda' came along and it was like okay, ya' know everyone sounds exactly the same to me, it's like one big long record, I don't understand does no one else see this, that they're buying into the one long record concept? The people that are different they just don't seem to fit into that anywhere.

A.Z. Did you ever get a chance to do any video stuff?

T.B. Mmm hmm...Manhole had a video, Tura Satana had a video, and My Ruin had a video that came out last year.

A.Z. Are these available at all?

T.B. I'm not sure, Manhole had a video for "Kiss or Kill", Tura Satana had one for "Luna" and Tura has a video coming out it's really weird, it's spoken word kinda' tripped out little thing.

A.Z. When we played "Tainted Love" on the radio it was the the only radio friendly song on Speak. We'd love a video we could play on our cable show. But, we'll dig a few more out of here as long as there's not too many fuck words on it.

T.B. I say the "f" word here and there, Ya'know.

A.Z. My engineer was sitting there trying to lay on the dump button, we have no delay. (Laughs)

T.B. Oh, man, sorry about that.

A.Z. That's okay. (Laughs) Personally I dig that vibe.

T.B. A girl's gotta' be a girl. (Laughs)

A.Z. Is there anything else you can talk about the new album then?

T.B. I'm really happy that I did get a chance to do this and it was a nice refreshing break out of doing what I was doing before and kind of come clean in a lot of ways do a lot of different sides of myself, everyone has different sides and just like my new record is really, really heavy, I don't know what the next one will be, ya' know what I mean? You can never tell, I think that represents a big part of me, I guess I wish the one thing that would have happened is that I would have stayed in one place with one producer so it would all sounded more cohesive, but in the other sense it's more like a collage and it's a collage of a lot of feelings and emotions. I hope that people can dig it and have an open mind and not be like what the fuck is this and when they hear "Tainted Love" she's like electronica queen now, what's going on? Get to "Blasphemous Girl".

A.Z. The album that's coming out in September, if we can't get it here do people go to your website or the label's site and order it?

T.B. No, we're going to be able to get it out, it's definitely coming out in September and I definitely have faith they're going to have it out here and Spitfire will definitely get it in stores, I am not afraid of that. The Noise thing was the whole problem with that.

What do you listen to?

A.Z. I like all over the place, I mentioned Type O to you, and I like Switchblade Symphony a lot, Nick Cave, I love, Leonard Cohen .....

T.B. Right on!

A.Z. I like anything personal and emotional. I love Danzig stuff, I like his old stuff not his new stuff.

T.B. Yeah, his old stuff was really great.

A.Z. The Doors are my favorite band of all time so I'm like everywhere, I don't like the rap/metal thing anymore it was fun at first but there's just too much of it for me. It's played out.

T.B. Played out definitely.

A.Z. I like emotional, honest music that's why I like your album a lot because you're talking about how you feel or how you felt at the time and I think that's awesome.

T.B. I think a lot of people find offense at that sometimes because they're like Ëœshe's too personal and she spills it all out; but isn't that what music is supposed to be, instead of candy-coated and pop I don't just sit down and go okay I have to write a catchy hook, oh my God! I have to write something that can be played on the radio. I write something from my heart and I think that's a little more important.

A.Z. I like how you speak your mind and that's why I like Lydia Lunch.

T.B. She's awesome.

A.Z. I love Lydia Lunch and I see her and I'm in awe and I'm one of like five guys in the whole place and a bunch of women want to kick our asses but I really like where she's coming from.

T.B. I don't know if you're familiar with Jessica from Jack Off Jill?

A.Z. Yeah, oh, yeah.

T.B. She did a duet with us on the new record that is coming out in Europe, she is fucking just awesome. I really believe, Jessica is, like my as corny
as this could sound, my sort of attached, detached sister. Her new album is very similar to our new album and we write from like the same place there's just like we the same sort of mindset and I really dig her, man and I really respect her. I think she's a huge star and that nobody's figured this out yet. Well, they broke up. She's doing another project now, it's sad because her record just came out and her record is brilliant.

At this point the tape cuts off and we just continue talking. But rest assured brave reader there will be more conversation to follow as we follow up on "A PRAYER UNDER PRESSURE OF VIOLENT ANGUISH" and our love affair w/ the Divine Miss B.

My Ruin

My Ruin has been one of this publication’s favorite bands since their inception. SPEAK & DESTROY, the band’s debut wasn't released in the USA until a year after it hit the UK, where the band has since been darlings of the music press. Until this day, it is an album of material which is played regularly in the MK ULTRA office and at outings. Full of emotion, energy and in your face tunes. Yet, the powers that be in the music business in our free countryhave not been able to book any shows for the band here in the States until the recent tour opening for Kittie. For MK ULTRA the day finally came when the tour stopped in Chicago at the HOUSE OF BLUES. All previous commitments were broken in order to take in a short set of My Ruin energy and emotion. The set was followed by an interview in one of the Prayer Rooms at the HOB Foundation Room. (See the initial interview w/ Tairrie B on our website www.mkultramag.com)

Tairrie B, or Miss B. as she is often referred to has previously worked as a solo artist (a white protégé of rap producer/svengali Eazy-E) and her first album, 'Power Of A Woman' is now highly collectable. In 1990 her solo debut stalled and she elected to concentrate on music with a similar thematic ethos but a more aggressive bent: Manhole, a hard rock group from Los Angeles, California. (Who changed their name to Tura Satana for legal reasons) With Scott Ueda (guitar), Rico Villasenor (bass) and Marcelo Palomino (drums), Manhole worked in territory widely analogized as 'post-hardcore metal.� Tairrie B continued to rap as well as sing over the backdrop, which also contained trace elements of hip-hop rhythms. But it is doubtful whether those unacquainted with the singer's past confused Manhole with anything other than a ferocious hard rock group. The group split-up in late 1998, allowing Tairrie B to concentrate on a solo career recording as My Ruin. With My Ruin, Miss B remains one of the more influential members of the female metal scene. Tairrie B will be bringing out a book soon, where she will document her life amd her experiences together with new photos, titled "God Wants a Piece of My Ass".

Upon the long awaited US release of A PRAYER UNDER PRESSURE OF VIOLENT ANGUISH were permitted to witness the second chapter of My Ruin.

In her own words - A PRAYER UNDER PRESSURE OF VIOLENT ANGUISH is 14 songs strong with two short spoken words segments, which appear at both the beginning and end of the album. SELECTED PRAYERS include BEAUTY FIEND, STICK IT TO ME, LETTER TO THE EDITOR and POST NOISE REVELATION which confronts the critics and media head on and straight up. Speaking of which, we have recorded our own tribute song called ROCKSTAR (dedicated to the late LYNN STRAIT of the band SNOT). There are tracks that deal with my own love / hate dichotomy of religion and relationships such as HEARTSICK, SANCTUARY, HEMORRHAGE, LET IT RAIN and MASOCHRIST (which will be released on the single only). It also boasts a long overdue duet featuring JESSICKA from JACK OFF JILL appropriately titled MISS ANN THROPE as well as covers of DO YOU LOVE ME? by NICK CAVE and the classic BLACK FLAG song MY WAR (which features Mick on duet vocals). We decide on these particular songs to cover because they were very inspirational to us while writing the album. -Tairrie B from the website www.myruin.com

Also available from My Ruin is the live recording "To Britain with Love and Bruises.� Which includes 11 songs from both albums of material.

Be it the Old Testament, the Live Testament or the New Testament. Tairrie B remains a true testament of one thing about the entertainment industry in the United States. She says, “We're no longer trendsetters; the masses buying the music that is being promoted by the labels here are sheep being spoon-fed bullshit. That's right Middle America is eating shit.� What they should be eating are her words. Bitter as they can be, Miss B speaks the truth. She's an amazing singer, messenger, poet, a fun interview and excuse me for saying, is pretty easy on the eyes.

The band is MICK MURPHY guitar, MEGHAN MATTOX on bass, YAEL drums, and Tairrie B out front with pipes that rival any band on the circuit. They all joined in for the following interview that offers quotes that pull no punches. It is straight from the heart, simply put, the truth. Something a lot of people in the industry can't seem to handle in the age of using pop music as a way to sell sneakers, Playstations and zit cream.

Alex Zander: So what took so long to get here to Chicago for My Ruin to play?

Tairrie B: A band needed to invite us out. We needed to be invited on a real tour so we were unable to play. So we were unable to do it. It's hard when you have no label.

AZ: So no support from Spitfire now?

TB: “Shitfire!� is not our label. They never were. They licensed a record without our permission from a U.K. label called Snapper, both records, behind our backs. When we tried to make it cool with them we said, "well we're on your label let's do something." We got offered Tattoo the Earth, we got offered a lot of stuff. They were like "nope, we're not gonna support you. We're just going to put your record out there and whatever copies we feel like putting out and see what happens." They didn't give a shit about us. So that's why we wrote a song called "Spitfire" about it which will be on our next record.

AZ: As far as a new record, other than the live My Ruin record, when is that gonna happen?

TB: When we find a label. We have the record written. We have about 18 songs written. We're planning on doing a couple of real cool covers and Morgan may appear on the record, from Kittie. We got the whole concept down, we know what we're calling it. We know what we're doing, we're ready to go! It's called The Horror of Beauty. It's just a lot of things we've been going through the past couple of years.

Mick Murphy: It's going to be a killer rock album, too. Rock, not "nu-metal." It's super-heavy rock.

TB: True metal, that's what it's going to be. See, we have a guitar player in our band that doesn't sound like the same five guitar players in the same other five bands that copied the same five guitar players (laughs). He can do solos.

MM: Actually, this is music before 1990, you know what I mean? So I think that makes us a little different.

AZ: When we did an interview with you a year and a half ago that was on Speak and Destroy, which was new domestically but it had been around in Europe before on Snapper?

TB: Yeah, and actually this band did not do that. A lot of people don't understand, they're like "well you change your name every other year, what's going on?" So I'll just give a quick recap. I used to be a rapper back in the day on Eazy-E's label, Ruthless, like 12 years ago. I put together a band called Manhole, which was a rap/rock, kind of like Body Count, Downset, Rage. But a female front. We did a record called "All is Not Well." We did a second record after we toured the world off that and did great, but we got sued for our name by a band out of Texas called Manhole, a punk rock band. They wouldn't let us buy it from them so we had to change our name as our new record was coming out. So we released Relief the Release under the name Tura Satana. So a lot of people got confused like what the hell? What is this? Then we ended up touring the world off of that and I ended up wanting to do something completely different. I was a little bit tired of the rap/rock thing. I wanted to branch out and do something a little bit different. The guys in my band were really not up to it, but we were on the same wavelength, though, on a lot of things. So I left the band and I did this solo record called Speak and Destroy. I named the project My Ruin because I didn't want to call it Tairrie B. I worked with a lot of different artists and producers and put together a touring band. That's where I met Meghan. She came out with me and toured with me first in Europe and England. I came back and decided it might be fun to put a new band together again. Everybody's like, “every other year she has a new band name," it's crazy! It kind of became a joke, but now it's pretty serious. We met Mick, Mick stepped in and he used to front his own band. Mick actually plays drums, sings, plays guitar. He pretty much does it all. He's the frontman for his band called Movement. He played me all the stuff he had written and I was just blown away. It was amazing so it was like maybe we should do some work together.

MM: Yeah, I was looking for something to do. My band had broken up and I had songs. I played her my songs and she was interested. It sparked up a romance and band all at the same time.

AZ: Did you play on Speak and Destroy?

MM: I played on the remix of "Tainted Love" on the American release.

AZ: Which was why he was on the promo shots.

TB: See, Spitfire was just a joke. Spitfire really jacked our band up. They waited a year to release one, then we were going to have a video for "Tainted Love" and then they pulled that. We were going to do Tattoo the Earth and then they pulled that. Spitfire Records just really tried to sabotage our career, big time. They wouldn't let us do any press in the States. They were afraid we were going to tell what was really going on, which we were.

MM: When we questioned them at all they got totally offended.

TB: We're a real band. We're not some fake garage band that's like "take our record and fuck us." They didn't give a shit and we were working really hard. "Speak" was a good record and "Prayer" was a fucking great record, and I can say that it's a great record.

MM: And our next record is going to be even better.

TB: Yeah, we really worked hard. We've been writing this record for a couple of years. There's a lot of subjects that I think our band relates to kids on a completely different level because it's more of an emotion. We're like an emo-metal band. Kids come to our shows and we have kids in the front row crying. It's like a completely different thing, girls throwing themselves onstage. It's very dramatic, they really relate to the lyrics and they really feel the music. It's something really cool, I think it's really different. It makes me really proud to be in a band that can set a standard for something new instead of following a trend. I don't think there's anyone that My Ruin can be compared to and I love that fact. It's what makes original bands.

AZ: So do you blame the lack of press in the United States on Spitfire?

TB: Oh fuck yeah. With our press kit in Europe you'd think we were Marilyn Manson. You'd think this band is huge.

AZ: If you look on your Web Site, (www.myruin.com) all the press that's there is amazing.

TB: Yeah, Spitfire was just "own up, cut them off. Cut them off from everything. Can't do this, can't do that." Finally we got out of all the contracts and legalities.

MM: They were afraid the truth might come out about how lame they are.

TB: Really, just lame, shady dealing. Really, I thought "oh it's a baby label." We were like ok, they think we want a break. Let's get this band out there, get them on Ozzfest, Tattoo the Earth, get out there and get their name out. Have something to break besides the old shit their still pumping. The guy's a dinosaur. He's just an idiot. I hate badmouthing someone like that, but this guy's a real fucker.

AZ: What's on the live album, who's on it, what's it called, who put it out and when was it done?

MM: We did it on our tour of the U.K. the first thing we did when we got to England was went to this barhouse in the middle of nowhere.

AZ: That tour was on the new record, right? Because I don't have that.

MM: It was a mixture between the two records. It gave this lineup a chance to do our versions of the songs off Speak and Destroy. We kind of changed them a little bit, made them more of what we do. And to do live versions of the songs off "Prayer" with Yael, because Yael didn't play on the "Prayer" record. She got into the band after we made that record.

TB: I really love that record. I think it's very raw and like they said, they did the record before Yael came into the band. They did the record at 4 in the morning and we had just gotten off a ten-hour flight. I got up at 9am and did all the vocals in and hour and a half-two hours.

MM: It's like a live studio album.
TB: It' crazy. It was awesome and I think it's great because it's really raw and it's everything from the music to the vocals to the artwork on it is pictures from the tour. It's really us. It really represents what My Ruin is. I think kids love that. They felt like we called it To Britain with Love and Bruises, because it was our little gift to Britain. For all the kids being so kind to us it really meant a lot to us to do it.

AZ: So the best way for somebody to find your music is?...

TB: Amazon.com, Hot Topic, they're now carrying it. They just took us in to the family. It's a shame, I feel really sad that we come out here every night and we play for all these kids and we go to our merch booth and our merch girl says "200 kids came up tonight asking for your album." We're like "what?!" We sell out. I mean we're doing more merch than any other tour. We're selling out, we're doing great. That's how we're surviving. But we have no record out here and we can't get them out here. So we're like we just need a label. We need a label to get behind this band and say I get it, I'm not afraid of it. Let's get you guys on the road, let's get you guys out there, let's make this fucking record and let's do it! That's all we need. We're not looking for a million dollars. We're looking for some real people who aren't liars.

MM: Who don't want to change us into some formulated band.

TB: Yeah! Who don't want to turn us into something we're not. I'm not that little, melodic singer girl. I'm not going to be Linkin Park. That's not gonna happen. But what I am is what I am and I can relate to a lot of people. This band can relate to a lot of people. People tell us that every night, we loved you, you're not that typical thing out there. It's different. Someone's gotta take a chance. Someone will believe in us and that person will step up when the time is right, and we know that. Until then we're gonna bust our ass and do what we gotta do. We'll play for everybody as long as people will bring us out, like Kittie.

AZ: Are you still writing your book?

TB: Been working on it for years, for a few years now. It's insane.

YAEL: It's a novel.

TB: It's not really a novel anymore, it's like a...

MEGHAN MATTOX: Encyclopedia.

TB: (laughs) It's like 1,000 pages now. I took it to a book publisher and he's like "oh my god, there's like 8 books here." It's insane. So I may have to break it down.

AZ: Tell us about it. What's it about and what are you putting into it?

TB: Well, basically it's about one girl's life in music. It's going through my rap days, Manhole, Tura Satana, to My Ruin. It's road stories, it's tour journals, it's diary entries, poetry, song lyrics, private pictures, letters from kids, letters to magazines I've written that were published and not published, letters from people, all sorts of crazy shit. Someone who didn't even like us or like the band could pick up the book, say oh my god and read it for days. It's insane, it's really crazy and when it gets published it'll be the same as the record, it finds it's home with the right person.

AZ: The Web Site's extremely detailed as well, there's a whole lot in there. Does it address some of the same themes? Is some of the artwork the same? It's of the best sites I've ever seen.

TB: Some of it. It mean it would be getting ahead of me for the book and then I started thinking about it and I said hmm, you know that's kind of what it really all is, like the artist screaming. In one way or another that's all I've been doing for the past how many years, I've been screaming. Add this to this, with this, for this in all these different ways. From the early days when I was involved in the "Rock for Choice" pro-choice movement, helping battered women and working in all those causes, all the way to screaming for women, standing on stage and saying get up here! You can come up; you don't have to be the girlfriend. You can be the girl onstage. I think a lot of girls relate to that. That's why I go in the audience and put my mic down and say sing with me. The show is with me. I love that. I love it that a lot of times we do shows, we don't have the giant reaction but we have people just looking at us in this intense way.

MEGHAN: More of a connection.

AZ: That was obvious from watching tonight. Do you get that everywhere?

MEGHAN: I think you get it more when it's a smaller venue and you're right there with everybody.

TB: Personally I've played festivals for 120,000 people and be like 25 feet away from stage with photographers below and I just sit up there thinking, I'm freaking out. I can't relate to that. So I have to jump down and go through them to get to the kids. Everyone's like "you can't jump down there, you're not allowed." I'm like I can't do a show up here. I have to be touching someone.

YAEL: You may as well be in your rehearsal room. You're not connected with anything because you're so far from everybody. Some of the shows on this tour have been like you walk off, take off your shirt and drench the water right the hell out of it because it gets amazing. It's energy, that's all. They give it, you give it and you can feel it just building and building and building. It's really dynamic. Like mellow stuff where she's just talking to a crowd and enticing everybody and they're like "what the fuck is she saying?" Then it's like well this is what I'm saying! So you can feel that. You can see them moving in a certain way, at least I can, because I'm in the middle. So I can just see the whole thing happening whether it's up here or down there and just work with everybody.
TB: We did a little documentary, we filmed it. We have a lot of home videos and we're going to put them all available on our site pretty soon. But we document everything we do and we have a lot of crazy, crazy stuff on tape. But it's awesome. Every night kids say to us you should have been higher on the bill, and we're like, our time will come, we'll get there.

MM: The coolest part is the kids that have never heard of the band before, they come up to us and say. "oh my god, where have you been?! You guys are amazing!" It just feels really good. Of course the kids who sing every lyric and have the records, that's awesome. But to turn some new heads, that's what it's all about, as many people as possible.

TB: To turn the disbeliever into a believer. You see the guys and girls who stand there when we walk out like "you can't impress me." They have that look like "I'm not here for you." I'll walk right up to those people and grab their faces, you know, right in their faces look at them, hold their hand…

MM: And they're converted.

TB: It's crazy! They'll come up to you after the show and say I heard shit about you, you know, everybody has a story afterwards.

MM: Yeah, there have been people who will say "I heard really bad things about you guys, but you guys are really cool." So hopefully that's what this tour is going to do and that's open some eyes.

TB: We're not fucking rock stars. People think because you're on the cover of a magazine or other shit that you live in mansions, you're rock stars, and we're like come on now! We're in a van, we're ghetto fabulous!

MM: In a van down by the river.

TB: Exactly! We're out here Black Flaggin' it. For real. When we do "My War," I really feel like I relate to this. I understand this shit. The people that I respect in the business, the people that I think are amazing are not the people on MTV. They are not the people that are all over MTV. I don't want to be this big -for me, I'm speaking for me only- I don't want to be Gwen Stefani and I don't want to be Madonna. But I want to be what I am, whatever that's going to be. I want to live my life, be happy, do my music, tour and have kids get it and sell records. I actually have records available. We're playing for how many kids tonight? How many of these kids are actually going to be able to find our fucking record? That's what scares me.

AZ: You had that same problem with Noise Records.

TB: Yeah, exactly!

AZ: I remember seeing you for the first time opening for Type O and one of your band members gave me a sampler and for months I couldn't get Noise to send me any. They sent me 8x10's but no records.

TB: Nope. We would get out there and play for 2,000 kids a night. There'd be an ad in Tower Records and I'd go in the store that day and say "I wanna invite the staff to the show," because we didn't know anybody and they'd say "well we have one record." I'm like "what?!" We had to start getting our records on the road and selling them. But we sold them all out. At least Noise gave us records to sell on the road.

MEGHAN: You got 8x10's because it goes with the territory of being a woman in this business. They're selling a hot face to you and they're not looking at the substance behind it.

TB: This is not a hot face, this band is not a hot face. That's why we do songs like "Beauty Fiend" and "Get Pretty." We have lyrics so please forgive me for not being pretty or sexy. That's not what I'm here for. I'm not here to be your little doll up on stage with my fake tits and fakeness. I'm up here just to give it to you, if you don't like it get the fuck out. You know what? Someone else is here that will. If you want some bimbo up on stage yeah I can get one in this band. But that's not coming to this band. That's not what we're about. If that's what we've gotta be to be on MTV then fuck it. I don't need it, we don't need it.

AZ: Now Eazy-E's label...How did you get into rap and then involved with that label.

TB: I was a street dancer, I was really into graffiti art and breakdancing way back in the day. I know KoRn made it really cool to wear Adidas and track suits. Well back when I was wearing it, it wasn't cool for a white girl to be wearing that shit. I was just really into it and I met Eazy-E's manager at a N.W.A. concert with a friend of mine and he's (manager) like, "oh you're a rapper?" I was like "oh yeah." He asked if I had anything and I said "well Quincy Jones's son had did a song with me, Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady,"" on a little demo. So I went down to N.W.A.'s studio all by myself, with nobody. I walked in and played them all my shit and they're all sitting there, Ice Cube and everybody. So he handed it back to me and was like, "oh cool." So I said thanks and went to walk out and he said "do you want a record deal?" As quick as that. It just kinda steamrolled, but then it got really crazy. It got a little much. I was in love with rap music, I loved graffiti, I loved DJ'ing, breakdancing, everything about the culture. And all my friends were into punk. But something was really alluring to me about this culture. It was really straight and really scary. I think it prepared me. I think being down with N.W.A. in those days prepared me to be in this world. They were like the Slayer of rap. I think that a little white girl walking around going "fuck you" to these people was like "what? Wait a minute!" It got to the point where you were told to carry a gun with you to your own record company for protection, there's something wrong there, you gotta go. I'm into music because I love music. The day I don't love what I'm doing is the day I'm going to leave it. I left that world. I wasn't jumping on the bandwagon, I just wanted to do something harder. I knew my voice was something different.

AZ: You told me before something that's just amazing and honest, is that you got paid before he passed away. He took care of you.

TB: Yeah, he paid me all the money he owed me. Eazy kept me under contract for a long time. He wouldn't let me go when I was in Manhole, the early days. Everybody knows he died of AIDS. You live a lifestyle and whatever that lifestyle is you talk about it, you brag about it, just like 2Pac. You live a lifestyle and you sometimes die that lifestyle. Kurt Cobain died a lifestyle and so did Layne Staley. Certain people die the lifestyle they live. It's sad.

MM: He let you out of your contract.

TB: He let me go before he died. He said "I want you to go." Two days later I heard on the radio someone reading a letter. It was like I looked at him, I sat right next to him, I had no idea! He did not look sick at all. He died less than a week after that. I was sent a letter saying "do you want to sue Ruthless?" Along with a list of people I knew for money. But he took care of me. He gave me money. I was free to go, he let me out. Thank god, or I might still be under contract to this day as some gangster mafia shit. I'm pretty happy about that. So I have nothing bad to say.

AZ: Then you were sued over the name Manhole...

TB: But we really didn't get sued, though. Noise Records got sued and they changed their name to F.A.D. and we were just told change your name. They wanted like $300,000. We're like we'll give you $40,000 for the name and they wouldn't take it. Then after we changed our name, two months later that band broke up. It was like oh my god! It was ridiculous. Put us through drama for nothing. Noise changed their name because they didn't want to get sued and they had to re-issue all the All is Not Well records and call them Tura Satana.

AZ: So Tura Satana didn't have a copyright on her name?

TB: No, and the funny thing was, she started getting letters addressed to us. I ended up getting in touch with her through the Internet. I said, this is who I am, this is why we named our band this, because one night before we had to name our record we went through 30 million names, I was watching Faster Pussycat and watching her I just thought, wow! She's just everything that I want to embody on this record, and who I want to embody as a persona. I thought, that's a great fucking name. It sounds kind of Spanish and scary, kind of evil. I brought it to the band and they were like "that's killer!" There was no copyright on it. Later, I started talking to her, and another part in my book is with her as well. I'm interviewing her because of why we took the name and who she is and why she inspired. I think that's really cool.

AZ: We've talked to her before.

TB: Yeah, she's hot. She was very flattered that we did that, so I thought that was really cool.
AZ: Do your videos get played in Europe at all?

TB: Yeah, the old videos for Tura Satana did, there's a My Ruin video for "Terror." We haven't done the video.

MM: This band isn't represented in a video yet. We have tons of tour videos at home.

AZ: That stuff is great, just seeing (the show) tonight.

TB: I gotta send you some home videos.

MM: It's very punk rock-style videos, but there's a lot of heart and it's very honest.

YAEL: And we have the two VCR editing.

MEGHAN: I think we're staying ghetto though. Regardless of whatever happens. It's the flavor of the band. I wouldn't mind having a driver…
MM: Yeah, it would be cool to have somebody drive the van.

YAEL: Yeah, we'd be a little less tired.

AZ: Who's driving?

MM: Me and Yael do most of the driving.

TB: A lot of people want to see us fail out here. A lot of people are very "oh fuck My Ruin. They'll never make it. They're trouble, they're a nightmare." But everybody's been happy with us. Everybody's been kind. It's cool.

AZ: What about at home? I know you did a Whiskey show. It was talked about a lot on the Internet.

TB: We did a couple. Our shows in LA are crazy. We're doing one when we get back. We're actually up for an award right now. LA Weekly, which is like the village voice, they're doing a big award show. They do their yearly awards and we're up for best rock band. Chili Peppers have won it before us, and System of a Down. We're up for it. We just got asked to perform with Tenacious D and Concrete Blonde. Somebody we really respect is gonna be on the show. A few people, very underground and very cool. I mean it's very cool for us to do things like that. I'd rather play with Concrete Blonde than fucking Coal Chamber any day. That shit doesn't mean shit.
AZ: So you don't have a problem getting a chance to come back out by yourselves and playing a couple of smaller clubs, then?

TB: We're gonna make it happen. After we do all this, we're gonna make it happen. People are telling us, "you know if you guys don't get signed off this then something's wrong." If we don't get signed, we're just gonna come back out and do it again.

MEGHAN: We could do this again, that's not a problem. There were bands on this tour that have asked us to go out with them.

TB: American Head Charge rocks.

MM: They're really good (rest of band agrees). I'm not going to lump them in with the bands with a shtick. I think Slipknot's cool but too many bands have ripped them off. But Head Charge is really good. They've got great songs and a great singer, too.

TB: They're actually talented and nice guys. I wanna say one thing about American Head Charge, they are the stinkiest band. They know that, I say this to them. I spray them all with vanilla. They put dead pig heads backstage with us and we were spraying them with vanilla.

AZ: You're a happier crew than I expected to meet because the music is so emotional. Is the new album that you already recorded as emotional?

MM: When we play a show it's a whole different story. After we play we're a lot happier.

AZ: I love that emotion, it provokes a feeling. Music should be like that.

TB: I think it should be. You gotta have tension in order to also have release. There's gotta be some pain to have something. I gotta be honest, with me, I'm in a relationship and a lot of my records have been relationships. What's your religion Tairrie? You talk about the religious aesthetic of everything, and I'm like, my religion is relationships. That's what I address on every record. Most of the time it's painful stories. Right now I'm in a happy relationship so you gotta dig deeper into other subjects besides just this. We have to go through a lot of the other things. We have a song called "Weightless," that's gonna be out on our next record that to me, is going to be the next Beauty Fiend. It's a really important song to me personally, because it deals with when we showcased for a record label in New York City a few months back. The funniest was - and I'm not gonna say who it was - big label, big person, called me up and was really into us and we sent him a package. He called me up and said, "I'm blown away. The music is incredible, the lyrics are incredible, the The band is incredible, your photo, Tairrie, you're beautiful, you can be on magazine covers, but do you have a weight problem? I need to be honest with you, are you a little heavy there? Because rock stars have to be thin, I'm afraid." And those are the lines that just violated me. I was like what a fucking thing to say to me. Who is gonna say that to like Pantera?! Know what I mean? Go tell Phil that! That was such a disgusting, derogatory, misogynistic comment towards me, gimmie a break. He said this shit and we showcased for him anyway. It was worthless, it was not worth our time. Idiot.

MM: It's getting really bad in the music industry.

TB: Are you going to appeal to the Britney Spears girls? NO! We're not!

AZ: Universal dropped the ball on Garbage. They didn't do 100,000 in the States.

TB: That's sad. That's really sad.

MEGHAN: That's ridiculous.

YAEL: That's a joke.

MM: Who?

Rest of band in unison: Garbage!!

TB: Shirley Manson, I'll tell you what I think about her. I think Shirley Manson is kind of like me in the way that - it might sound weird - she's a singer and all that, but she writes really dark, creepy lyrics about subjects that are very intensive. People don't really hear that because it's so poppy. But if you really listen to those lyrics she's got some shit going on! I love that.

AZ: The first record is dark and the new one is dark.

TB: She's awesome. She is not afraid to talk shit. I love her. So, she's bad. But I think the new album deals with a lot of topics th