In order to commemorate the legendary Drab Four, I will be publishing series of blogs dedicated to them. No copyrights, only good intentions to share the stuff with the TON fans. I've purchased Type O bootlegs and dug old interviews from dusty corners of the internet so you didn't have to. I'll be publishing them in this blog including credits as much as possible (if I miss any credits, just send me an e-mail), then continue with the official releases and all the interesting Type O stuff I've collected since 1995. If you have suggestions, old interviews or content you'd like to share with me for this blog series, feel free to e-mail me: jablkadalekoodstromu@gmail.com
Part#1 ⏭️ Part#2 ⏭️ Part#3 ⏭️ Part#4 ⏭️ Part#5
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Table of Contents:
- Interview#1997/5: "Natural Feelings" SIDE LINE (Josh Silver, July 1997)
- October Rust (1996)
- Interview#1997/6: "Dining With Type O Negative's Peter Steele" CIRCUS (Peter Steele, December 1997) by Scott Hickey
- Interview#1998/1: "Sex and violence with the stars!" KERRANG (Peter Steele, April 1998) by Jason Arnopp
- Interview#1999/1: SHOUTWEB.COM (Josh Silver, Kenny Hickey, July 1999) by Matt Levine
- Cinnamon Girl (SP, 1997)
- Love You To Death (SP, 1996)
- My Girlfriend's Girlfriend (SP, 1996)
- Interview#1999/2: NYROCK.COM (Peter Steele, November 1999)
- World Coming Down (1999)
- Interview#1999/3: "At Home With Peter Steele" (Peter Steele, 1999/2000)
- Interview#2000/1: "At Home With Peter Steele" KERRANG (Peter Steele, 2000)
- Everything Dies (SP, 1999)
- Interview#2000/2: VOX (Josh Silver, 2000)
- The Least Worst Of (Comp, 2000)
- Interview#2003/1: POWER PLAY (Peter Steele, June 2003) by Vicky Anderson
- Interview#2003/2: (Josh Silver, 23rd June 2003) by Ane Cecilie Tovgaard
- Life Is Killing Me (2003)
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Interview#1997/5: "Natural Feelings" SIDE LINE (Josh Silver, July 1997)
Following Bloody Kisses, TYPE O NEGATIVE's fourth album, October Rust, allows the Brooklyn-based band to reach a succes that they no doubt deserve.Deep musical explorations resulting in dark and sensual atmospheres seem to be the band's actual recipe... we took advantage of the band's concert in Brussels to meet Josh Silver, keyboardist, who produced the album with the so charismatic singer, Peter Steele. And here is the result of this conversation with a man who certainly has more to say than what he lets show...
SL. Peter Steele composed most of the songs of October rust while you were on tour. According to you, did road life have much influence on his compositions?
J. I wouldn’t say it’s directly reflected in the material, but I think that living a different kind of life naturally leads you to a different way of thinking. So, inevitably, anything that happens in our personal lives will be reflected in the music one way or another.
SL. October rust gives the impression that you kept the melodious side of your previous album and that you developed it into a really more atmospheric, more moving music. Tell us about this evolution?
J. I think that once you hear the material, it’s pretty clear what the album should sound like: a very psychedelic, very ambient, very smooth record—a little sexual, I think. So it’s true that we go in the direction of what we think the album should be like, but we don’t sit down and make a conscious choice like, ‘This is what we’re gonna do.’ You just do what you do, and whatever happens, happens.
It has to be natural—a natural progression. And if you say, ‘Well, Bloody Kisses sold this many copies, so let’s do it again,’ that’s bullshit! You have to do it from your heart. It has to come naturally, and that’s the bottom line.
SL. Peter Steele composed most of the songs of October rust while you were on tour. According to you, did road life have much influence on his compositions?
J. I wouldn’t say it’s directly reflected in the material, but I think that living a different kind of life naturally leads you to a different way of thinking. So, inevitably, anything that happens in our personal lives will be reflected in the music one way or another.
SL. October rust gives the impression that you kept the melodious side of your previous album and that you developed it into a really more atmospheric, more moving music. Tell us about this evolution?
J. I think that once you hear the material, it’s pretty clear what the album should sound like: a very psychedelic, very ambient, very smooth record—a little sexual, I think. So it’s true that we go in the direction of what we think the album should be like, but we don’t sit down and make a conscious choice like, ‘This is what we’re gonna do.’ You just do what you do, and whatever happens, happens.
It has to be natural—a natural progression. And if you say, ‘Well, Bloody Kisses sold this many copies, so let’s do it again,’ that’s bullshit! You have to do it from your heart. It has to come naturally, and that’s the bottom line.
SL. Has this evolution of your sound come to an end or will you go on developing it further?
J. I don’t think the musical evolution has come to an end. Every album should be different. I don’t see us ever doing the same thing twice.
SL. So what about your next album?
J. We still don’t know... It could be circus music, it could be hardcore... Your guess is as good as mine.
SL. Why did you choose <<October rust>> as a title fir the album? Is it because of the mood of the album or it there something else to understand?
J. October Rust involves pagan imagery in relation to nature. I think it’s appropriate for the material and the overall packaging.
SL. Nature is very present with songs like Druides, Green man, Wolf moon,...or with the sleeves design. Does it have an influence on Peter's compositions?
J. I would just say that the only thing the whole band has any respect for is nature, because it is truly the only god, and it always has the final word.
SL. Peter's lyrics are always about him and also focus on women. In his eyes, are women just an object of desire or do they mean much more?
J. That is a very personal question, and I can only answer for myself... I would just say that relationships and sexuality are the focus of all humanity.
J. I don’t think the musical evolution has come to an end. Every album should be different. I don’t see us ever doing the same thing twice.
SL. So what about your next album?
J. We still don’t know... It could be circus music, it could be hardcore... Your guess is as good as mine.
SL. Why did you choose <<October rust>> as a title fir the album? Is it because of the mood of the album or it there something else to understand?
J. October Rust involves pagan imagery in relation to nature. I think it’s appropriate for the material and the overall packaging.
SL. Nature is very present with songs like Druides, Green man, Wolf moon,...or with the sleeves design. Does it have an influence on Peter's compositions?
J. I would just say that the only thing the whole band has any respect for is nature, because it is truly the only god, and it always has the final word.
SL. Peter's lyrics are always about him and also focus on women. In his eyes, are women just an object of desire or do they mean much more?
J. That is a very personal question, and I can only answer for myself... I would just say that relationships and sexuality are the focus of all humanity.
SL. But if you have a look at his lyrics, what is your impression?
J. I have the impression that it was probably written by someone who has had a lot of trouble in relationships, someone who has been very frustrated... Relationships are 95% of human existence. They can be sexual or intellectual... They are the very basis of human existence. So what better thing is there to write about? And we’ve been doing it from day one, either with hardcore and screaming or with soft music like on this album.
SL. So we can say that the whole album is about nature, women and Peter?
J. I would say nature and women, actually. A lot of the views expressed on October Rust are universal.
SL. Any other subjects that inspire Peter?
J. Probably not. You know, we’re a band whose members have always had problems in their personal lives. We grew up in New York... And now we’ve been touring for three or four months. All our relationships are a disaster. We’re not at home; we’re here... And inevitably, these are just feelings that everybody goes through.
You can’t avoid this situation. It’s very hard to have a relationship if you’re always on the road. It’s very tough. It’s something we chose to do, and we never knew it would get to this scale, but it has. That’s life, you know...
SL. Bloody Kisses was yet quite well acclaimed when it was released and now you are gaining even more success with October Rust. Did you expect this success?
J. I expect nothing, but I’m never disappointed. We go into the studio and we make music. If people like it, that’s great, and if they don’t, that’s cool. We’re doing this first for ourselves and then for others. If you don’t express your honest feelings on a record, I would say it’s a lie...
But you can’t plan success. Either it happens or it doesn’t. And if you plan it, it’s usually too artificial. Just think of Green Day, for instance...
SL. Have you been touring in the USA before coming to Europe?
J. Not specifically for this album. What happened was that we were finishing up October Rust when we got an offer from Ozzy Osbourne to open for him. So, on the day we finished recording, we had our luggage with us in the studio and went directly from there to the airport.
It wasn’t really a tour for this album, but since it was after the recording, we did play one or two songs from it. Then we did nine weeks of headlining and supporting shows in small and medium-sized venues.
SL. With more tracks from the album?
J. Yes, right now we’re playing four songs, but some of them are over ten minutes long, so... Moreover, we try to mix things up a lot: we do a little bit from Slow, Deep and Hard, and of course we play tracks from Bloody Kisses...
SL. Do you keep the same set for Europe or are there any changes?
J. What happens is that we’re always playing new stuff. We’re now playing ‘Wolf Moon,’ which we didn’t play in the USA, but we hadn’t planned to play it in Europe either. During soundchecks, we rehearse some songs and then play them live. That’s why the set keeps changing.
SL. October Rust is charged with a lot of sensuality, feelings,...Isn't it a kind of challenge to reproduce these atmospheres on stage?
J. I wouldn’t say it’s not a challenge, because we know it’s not going to be exactly the same. We have to adjust certain things to make them work live while trying to keep the sound somewhat similar to what’s on the record. We just do what we think sounds good live.
As I said, it may not be exactly the same, but that’s OK. A live show is a live show, and a CD is a CD. You know, the possibilities in the studio are limitless, and that’s why you go there to make a record. You certainly have to take advantage of that. Then we can worry about how we’re going to do it live.
SL. When you are not touring or working in studio, do you have other activities, hobbies or do you only concentrate on the band?
J. There is very little life outside of Type O Negative right now, and I hope that changes. I need a vacation, maybe to have a relationship again... In time, I think things will get a little better, but right now we have an opportunity and we’re very ambitious.
I was raised to keep pushing ahead no matter what happens. That is to say, success is very important because you have to survive and support yourself. But maybe this is just a way of avoiding your feelings—submerging yourself in work, which takes your mind off some of your problems.
SL. Do you believe this?
J. I wouldn’t say I don’t believe in it, but deep down inside... I can say it’s not true, but I still do it. I’m my father’s son, you know.
SL. Do you think this has much influence on your work?
J. Some good, some good... You know, some people are very ambitious, while others want to sit at home and watch TV for ten hours a day, but I’m not one of those people. I have to try to do something that’s almost impossible, or I won’t be happy. But I probably won’t be happy even after I’ve done it, so it’s like that stupid Nike commercial: ‘Just do it.’ It’s a stupid commercial, but it’s true.
SL. In this album's booklet we find the quote <<Functionless art is simply tolerated vandalism...We are the vandals>>. Does that mean that you consider your music as functionless?
J. You know, there is a difference between functional design and functionless art. Music, by comparison, is definitely functionless in a practical sense, but it does have a function: it releases emotions…
SL. Anything to add to end all this?
J. My sincerest apologies...
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Interview#1997/6: "Dining With Type O Negative's Peter Steele" CIRCUS (Peter Steele, December 1997) by Scott Hickey
Standing on stage sipping red wine from a delicate glass goblet, Type O Negative's lead singer Peter Steele looks like a hardcore biker version of Fabio. But this long-haired, chisel-chested rocker has never hawked a butter substitute to pay the rent.
Steele and crew - Kenny Hickey (guitar), Josh Silver (keyboards) and Johnny Kelly (drums) - are stretching out and getting comfortable on stage running through "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" from their latest record October Rust (Roadrunner).
Last summer the band took their finely crafted mix of goth, metal and pop on the road as one of the bands on Ozzfest. Since then, this most haunting of quartets have left very little time to recreate in their New York hometown. They have zigzagged many times across the States with some of the Ozzfest bands. Most recently, they completed a stretch of club dates from October 21 to November 2, with opening bands Coal Chamber and Electric Hellfire Club. Fans hungry for new material will have to wait until '98, but until then, a remix by famed producer Rick Rubin of their hit single from their Bloody Kisses album, "Summer Breeze" could be heard on the new soundtrack album for "I know what you did last summer."
The Brooklyn-based quartet - renowned for their endearingly-morbid epic "Black No. 1" - successfully integrate speed-metal punk, 60's catchy melodies with booming riffs and dark goth. On their '91 debut, Slow Deep and Hard, Steele & Co. set the tone of their depressing yet darkly witty tone with its bubbling organ, Beatlesque vocal harmonies and harsh sound effects on classics like "Unsuccessfully Coping With The Natural Beauty Of Infidelity (I Know You're F**king Someone Else)".
For their third album, October Rust, highlighted by Love you to death, Be my Druidess and Green Man, the band has brewed up a wicked bath of bitches brew concocted with dark muddy riffage and gorgeous, soaring vocals. It's a balancing act between the beauty and the beast of life.
Back on stage, the band is swinging Neil Young's classic Cinnamon Girl like a heavy brick bat (a song whose remix by Nine Inch Nails' Charlie Clouser was a recent mainstay on modern rock radio). The slower tempo gives the song a chance to breathe and gives off a sinister feeling. After finishing up a powerful set, the band scatters for the showers. Steele, hits the cafeteria. Sitting at a table with his entourage, Steele prepares to devour dinner.
Steele and crew - Kenny Hickey (guitar), Josh Silver (keyboards) and Johnny Kelly (drums) - are stretching out and getting comfortable on stage running through "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" from their latest record October Rust (Roadrunner).
Last summer the band took their finely crafted mix of goth, metal and pop on the road as one of the bands on Ozzfest. Since then, this most haunting of quartets have left very little time to recreate in their New York hometown. They have zigzagged many times across the States with some of the Ozzfest bands. Most recently, they completed a stretch of club dates from October 21 to November 2, with opening bands Coal Chamber and Electric Hellfire Club. Fans hungry for new material will have to wait until '98, but until then, a remix by famed producer Rick Rubin of their hit single from their Bloody Kisses album, "Summer Breeze" could be heard on the new soundtrack album for "I know what you did last summer."
The Brooklyn-based quartet - renowned for their endearingly-morbid epic "Black No. 1" - successfully integrate speed-metal punk, 60's catchy melodies with booming riffs and dark goth. On their '91 debut, Slow Deep and Hard, Steele & Co. set the tone of their depressing yet darkly witty tone with its bubbling organ, Beatlesque vocal harmonies and harsh sound effects on classics like "Unsuccessfully Coping With The Natural Beauty Of Infidelity (I Know You're F**king Someone Else)".
For their third album, October Rust, highlighted by Love you to death, Be my Druidess and Green Man, the band has brewed up a wicked bath of bitches brew concocted with dark muddy riffage and gorgeous, soaring vocals. It's a balancing act between the beauty and the beast of life.
Back on stage, the band is swinging Neil Young's classic Cinnamon Girl like a heavy brick bat (a song whose remix by Nine Inch Nails' Charlie Clouser was a recent mainstay on modern rock radio). The slower tempo gives the song a chance to breathe and gives off a sinister feeling. After finishing up a powerful set, the band scatters for the showers. Steele, hits the cafeteria. Sitting at a table with his entourage, Steele prepares to devour dinner.
Circus: What are they feeding you?
Cow ovaries in gravy with corn [He pokes at one of many little white potato surrounded by beef and covered in gravy] Who's this interview for?
For Circus.
Wow, if my manager would have told me, I would have worn deodorant.
Circus: How long has it been between your last album Bloody Kisses and October Rust?
Unfortunately, it was three years which I feel is way too much time between albums. My goal is not to spend three years between albums this time. But due to the record company, who I'm making very rich, they like us to tour until we're old and toothless. I'm old, but I'm not toothless, so they only have me half beat.
Circus: I heard you write a lot on the road.
What I do to write albums is play Beatles albums at half-speed backwards and steal the riffs. [He snaps his fingers.] Like a charm it works. I'm going to take these with me [he unscrews the tops off the salt and pepper shakers that were sitting in front of him]. You never know when you're going to need these. [he holds both of them up to his nipples]. You have to be prepared for anything and everything.
Circus: Metal music seems to be enjoying a resurgence with a lot of different bands taking the music in different directions. Is metal changing?
In a world where everybody is afraid to simply be their social security number, which I am not, I am proud of the nine digits I was supplied with. Everyone wants to be individuals so they have to combine heavy metal with reggae or punk or funk or junk or whatever they feel like. So there is no true metal now. Except for Manowar, of course. What are you laughing at? [he shoots a stare at the blonde girl giggling on his left] Back to your question, yes, metal is changing.
Circus: does this tour mean a lot to you and the band? I know in interviews you cite the Beatles and Black Sabbath as the two masters you serve.
I think Black Sabbath are probably the founding fathers of Goth music, punk and metal. Anybody who thinks otherwise can eat the corn out of my shit [he shovels in another forkful of yellow kernels toward his mouth]. Notice how I don't like my food touching each other.
Circus: Is this an anal retentive side of you that few see?
I hate that f**king term, anal retentive! [he slams his meaty fist onto the corner of the table shattering its glass cover into several large shards and a floor full of shiny, jagged slivers].
Circus: Now I know what not to say to you.
Shhh! [he looks down the table as the girls' tense, shocked faces relax into large smiles laughing loudly]
Circus: so you're not anal retentive?
I didn't realize.. it was real glass. What kind of person puts real glass on a table? I did the same thing at my grandmother's house last Thanksgiving. 'You put too much butter in the mashed potatoes, you bitch!" [he slams his fist down again, but this time stopping short]. I'm sorry now, I'm being sexist, I called her an elderly female dog.
Circus: I take it your family is close?
We're close.
Circus: A lot of holidays marred by violence?
We like to fight over the turkey. I guess we're off the tour now. That's OK, I can use more time at home. Where were we?
Circus: I was about to ask you why you're a food separatist.
A lot of people call me a fascist. This is the reason. The food is separate. It can't touch each other.
Circus: A lot of the bands were standing on the side of the stage watching the other bands play. What are some of the bands you've been checking out on this tour [Ozzfest '97] ?
Pantera is not only a great band, but great people to hang with. I can't say enough good things about them. They've been really good to us. The only problem with Phil [Anselmo, the band's lead singer] is that he tells the truth. And for that he shall suffer forever. But I'm right behind him. [Steele finishes wrangling the last few bites of corn onto his fork and looks up] I was gonna give you a table dance, but....
Circus: I don't have any dollar bills.
That's OK, I was expecting 100's.
Circus: So what did you do before you started touring around the country busting up cafeterias?
I used to work for the Parks Department in Brooklyn. $40,000 a year.
Circus: Did you enjoy your time with the Parks Department?
I loved it. Outside all the time, however I was passed over for a promotion because I'm a white male. That's made me a little bit irritable. I don't mind taking orders from people who score better than me on the civil service exam, but when someone's giving me orders because they're female, handicapped or they have more of a tan than I do, then it gets my testosterone level up. I have a little pride.
Circus: So what were your duties with the Parks Dept.?
Every day was different. I drove garbage trucks and dump trucks and steamrollers. Pretty much anything that had to be done in the park - I was the guy. Including picking up human feces and anything that can come squirting or spewing out of the human body. All for $15 an hour. My motto was 'Slobs equals jobs.' Do what you want, because you're giving me a job.
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Interview#1998/1: "Sex and violence with the stars!" KERRANG (Peter Steele, April 1998) by Jason Arnopp
What is your nickname and why?
"Virtually any four-letter word!"
At school, were you a dunce or a teacher's pet?
"I was a dunce, I guess - just because I was really introverted. I was not a bad kid or anything. I just wished I was invisible."
What was your first shag like?
"That's really hard to say. This was with my first girlfriend. She was 16, I was 18. Because we were both virgins and she was a little tight, we tried multiple times. I don't know how far the penis actually has to be in, to qualify. But I believe it was on Thanksgiving night in 1980. With the help of some corn oil, we were finally successful - although I don't think she had that good a time. Sex didn't start to feel good until we emotionally loosened up."
"Virtually any four-letter word!"
At school, were you a dunce or a teacher's pet?
"I was a dunce, I guess - just because I was really introverted. I was not a bad kid or anything. I just wished I was invisible."
What was your first shag like?
"That's really hard to say. This was with my first girlfriend. She was 16, I was 18. Because we were both virgins and she was a little tight, we tried multiple times. I don't know how far the penis actually has to be in, to qualify. But I believe it was on Thanksgiving night in 1980. With the help of some corn oil, we were finally successful - although I don't think she had that good a time. Sex didn't start to feel good until we emotionally loosened up."
Who is your best friend?
"Probably Louie Beato from Carnivore (Steele's former band - Ed). We still talk, and I got really drunk with him a few weeks ago. I'm not proud of it. Plus, he puked in my car."
What's the best pet you've ever had?
"I've always had cats and dogs. I've got two cats now called Grizelda and Rusty, and they're my favourite pets at the moment. I would take any animal over 99.99 per cent of the human race. And that includes journalists. Oh... now I've hurt your feelings."
Have you ever been nicked?
"No. But the main difference between criminals and non- criminals is that criminals get caught. Normally, I can talk my way out of things by saying stuff like, 'Officer, the reason I was driving at 90 miles per hour was that I need a shit real bad'..."
What would you be if you weren't a rock star?
"Probably a civil engineer. Would I be content with that? Well, I thought I'd be content with this lifestyle, and I'm not. I guess the grass is always greener."
How would you describe yourself on a blind date form?
"Tall, white and gruesome."
Have you ever been nicked?
"No. But the main difference between criminals and non- criminals is that criminals get caught. Normally, I can talk my way out of things by saying stuff like, 'Officer, the reason I was driving at 90 miles per hour was that I need a shit real bad'..."
What would you be if you weren't a rock star?
"Probably a civil engineer. Would I be content with that? Well, I thought I'd be content with this lifestyle, and I'm not. I guess the grass is always greener."
How would you describe yourself on a blind date form?
"Tall, white and gruesome."
What's the most extravagant thing you've ever bought?
"I bought myself a toy recently a portable arc- welder. I'm gonna work on my car with it. Two of my favourite things to play with are fire and metal, so this is the perfect combination."
Who's gagging for a shagging?
"Oooh, Julia Roberts. I'm not a movie person, but when I do sit down to watch TV and she's in all these popular films... wow, she really does it for me. I would be content to just suck on her fingers and toes."
Who would you least like to see naked?
"Myself. And you can stop laughing!"
Who's gagging for a smacking?
"Oh, man. There are so many people that get under my skin. But if you show anger to someone like that, they have won. I just turn the other cheek... but it's my ass- cheek."
What's the best rumour you've heard about yourself?
"I don't really hear anything too good about me. Maybe that I was a rock star. I don't like to be called that. The only true rock stars are (a) stone masons or (b) geologists."
What's in your wallet right now?
"The FBI, the KGB or Scotland Yard might be tapping my phone, so there are certain things I have to leave out. Pictures of my family, my licence, my money and a small list of phone numbers - not girlie numbers, either. Just people I might have to call for assistance."
What's your favourite joke?
"Any time I look in the mirror, I get a pretty good laugh. I'm my own favourite Polish joke. Okay, why was the cat's phone bill so high? Because he was calling Persian-to- Persian. Not my favourite joke, but the last one I heard."
If you were marooned on a desert island without any food, which member of Type O Negative would you eat first?
"I'd rather f**kin' starve to death. They might smell like fish, but they taste like chicken."
Which Type O Negative song would you donate to a compilation album entitled 'Crap Songs Of Our Time'?
"Almost any of our songs! No, it would probably have to be 'Der Untermensch' - the one that made us so famous back in Germany a few years ago. That was kinda ignorant of me."
What's your drug of choice?
"Red wine. I was gonna say menstrual fluid..."
What does God look like?
"God is attempting to put a face on physics that we have yet to understand."
When you die, how do you want to go?
"I wanna jump off the World Trade Centre onto someone I hate. Then the last thing that went through their mind would be me."
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Interview#1999/1: SHOUTWEB.COM (Josh Silver, Kenny Hickey, July 1999) by Matt Levine
Type O Negative have returned with the deep dark gothic slant "World Coming Down" and are currently on tour with Coal Chamber, Full Devil Jacket and The Deadlights on the "Road Rage" Tour. The band has defined the vast depths and loathing in a post-industrial world. Their live show and continued legacy is not one to overlook.
ShoutWeb: Even though we're waiting for Kenny, I guess I'll start the tape now. We sit around for a little while, listening to "World Coming Down." While doing this, I take a look at Josh's tattoo-covered arms. To dispel a semi-awkward silence, I bring them up as a subject for the conversation.
ShoutWeb: Wow, you have a lot of tattoos.
Josh Silver: They were a big mistake.
ShoutWeb: How much did (getting those tattoos) hurt?.
JS: A lot. Unfortunately, it hurts more when you're 36 and you realize you 're stuck with them as long as you live.
ShoutWeb: How long ago did you get them?
JS: Over a period of ten years, starting when I was 16.
ShoutWeb: Which was your first one?
ShoutWeb: Even though we're waiting for Kenny, I guess I'll start the tape now. We sit around for a little while, listening to "World Coming Down." While doing this, I take a look at Josh's tattoo-covered arms. To dispel a semi-awkward silence, I bring them up as a subject for the conversation.
ShoutWeb: Wow, you have a lot of tattoos.
Josh Silver: They were a big mistake.
ShoutWeb: How much did (getting those tattoos) hurt?.
JS: A lot. Unfortunately, it hurts more when you're 36 and you realize you 're stuck with them as long as you live.
ShoutWeb: How long ago did you get them?
JS: Over a period of ten years, starting when I was 16.
ShoutWeb: Which was your first one?
JS (pointing at a tattoo): The first one is buried under here, which I did myself with a needle. You take Indian ink, and you take a thread and wrap it around the tip of the needle to hold it in. Then you go (exclamation of pain). And my mother freaked out. She wanted me to go to a professional to cover it up. So when I did that, I came back and my mother screamed "You lied to me. You said you were going to cover that. That is more."
ShoutWeb: So did your mother completely disown you when you tattooed your entire arm?
JS: No, a Jewish mother won't disown her son no matter what. I could have murdered someone and said "Mom, I've just killed somebody" (and she'd help me).
Jamie Roberts (the band's publicist): It's not that way with daughters. Sons get treated so much better.
JS: Of course, my sister hates my mother.
JS: Of course, my sister hates my mother.
JR: My mother would drop me like a bad habit. My brother, he could do the worst thing in the world and she'd forget it. He's golden.
JS: Welcome to the world of Jewish praises. Kenny walks in the door and I introduce myself to him.
JS: Welcome to the world of Jewish praises. Kenny walks in the door and I introduce myself to him.
ShoutWeb: So, I guess I'll get this started.How much longer do you think you'll be able to do this band thing?
Kenny Hickey: As long as my body will endure it and my sanity.
JS: I'm 36, Peter's 37,
KH: I'm 33. I'm a child. It's difficult. I've been beat up over the years; many different organs. And I have dents in my head and a couple of holes in my ego. You know, I'll survive. I'll push on. I'm gonna get to be a has-been.
Kenny Hickey: As long as my body will endure it and my sanity.
JS: I'm 36, Peter's 37,
KH: I'm 33. I'm a child. It's difficult. I've been beat up over the years; many different organs. And I have dents in my head and a couple of holes in my ego. You know, I'll survive. I'll push on. I'm gonna get to be a has-been.
ShoutWeb: So, what will you do when you're a has-been?
KH: Go bald, get a little fatter, get the bowling pin shape, switch over to some other medium if I can't make it in music anymore; you know, whatever has a creative outlet in it. If I gotta be a plumber again and write stories, or plumb again and play my own music even if it doesn't get anywhere, at least I'll be able to survive the ordinary, routine life as long as I can still create to some extent, somewhere.
ShoutWeb: When did you start playing music?
KH: I was about 13 years old.
JS: I've been playing for 22 years.
ShoutWeb: How long have you played with Peter?
JS: We've been playing together for about 10 years.
ShoutWeb: How long have you two known each other?
JS: Ten years or so.
KH: But we knew each other before then. I used to play with my bands in his studio. He ran a studio in Brooklyn called Sty in the Sky and he did all of the local acts, including a lot of dangerous rap bands too. So everybody ended up in Josh's studio, so I knew him from there. Plus, I also knew Louie, the drummer for Carnivore (essentially Type O Negative's predecessor) and I knew Peter years before that, so I had seen him around.
KH: I was about 13 years old.
JS: I've been playing for 22 years.
ShoutWeb: How long have you played with Peter?
JS: We've been playing together for about 10 years.
ShoutWeb: How long have you two known each other?
JS: Ten years or so.
KH: But we knew each other before then. I used to play with my bands in his studio. He ran a studio in Brooklyn called Sty in the Sky and he did all of the local acts, including a lot of dangerous rap bands too. So everybody ended up in Josh's studio, so I knew him from there. Plus, I also knew Louie, the drummer for Carnivore (essentially Type O Negative's predecessor) and I knew Peter years before that, so I had seen him around.
ShoutWeb: Compare "World Coming Down" to your old sound.
JS: It's much more to the point.
KH: We're going back to that raw, emotional quality of the first album, "Slow Deep and Hard," which is definitely more direct and more urgent.
JS: It's much more to the point.
KH: We're going back to that raw, emotional quality of the first album, "Slow Deep and Hard," which is definitely more direct and more urgent.
ShoutWeb: Why are there large lapses in time between the releases of your albums? "Bloody Kisses" came out in '93 and "October Rust" came out in '96?
JS: Well, for "Bloody Kisses," we toured for four-and-a half years, so that 's the reason for (the delay of "October Rust"). As far as this record goes, we took 9 months off from each other after sitting in a bus for a long time.
KH: We didn't want to rush this album. You know, we rushed from the inception of "Bloody Kisses." We were up, on the road, doing 190 miles per hour, to the end of "Bloody Kisses," Between that, we recorded "October Rust" in a frantic rush mode to get it out, to get back on the road again. "October Rust" didn't happen the way we would have liked it to happen. It didn't get set up correctly. I think it was too rushed. We wanted to take our time because we were tired.
ShoutWeb: Do you enjoy touring?
JS: I don't like touring; I don't like the lifestyle. I like the show, but I don't like the other 23 hours of the day on the road.
KH: I love touring, the beautiful simplicity of touring. It's great being at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere with a direction.
ShoutWeb: What's your favorite band that you've toured with?
JS: Black Sabbath, Ozzy, that whole thing. If you're forced to watch somebody play every night, it should be Ozzy and Black Sabbath.
KH: Pantera's my favorite band to tour with.
And the conversation is muffled out due to the ringing of a phone situated close to my tape recorder.
ShoutWeb: I know that you've toured with Nine Inch Nails. How was Trent Reznor on the road?
KH: We saw him once.
JS: He's very quiet.
KH: Well, twice. He greeted us when getting onto the tour and said farewell when it was over. He's very reclusive. He went up and played Doom all day or whatever he does. He had his whole mobile studio that he took on the road with him. He sets up these huge after-show parties with this crazy shit going on, but he never shows up. That's the kind of guy he is. He has all this entertainment set up, but he never really takes part of it. But he was collaborative and very cool with us.
I take this moment to note that this interview was conducted in July of 1999 and that the information presented here was accurate at the moment.
ShoutWeb: If you're going to go on tour, who do you want to take on tour with you?
JS: Oh, we're definitely going on tour. It's just a matter of putting together a package.
KH: Right now, there's not much in the wind as far as tours going out, but (Roadrunner) will be developing them in the next few months for the winter touring cycle and we'll jump on something. If we can't find something supporting a large act and playing arenas, we'll headline. And we'll take some other band out with us
ShoutWeb: Which bands would you like to take out on tour?
KH: Anyone who's cool. I don't care what kind of music they play, to tell you the truth, as long as.
ShoutWeb: If you're going to go on tour, who do you want to take on tour with you?
JS: Oh, we're definitely going on tour. It's just a matter of putting together a package.
KH: Right now, there's not much in the wind as far as tours going out, but (Roadrunner) will be developing them in the next few months for the winter touring cycle and we'll jump on something. If we can't find something supporting a large act and playing arenas, we'll headline. And we'll take some other band out with us
ShoutWeb: Which bands would you like to take out on tour?
KH: Anyone who's cool. I don't care what kind of music they play, to tell you the truth, as long as.
JS (cutting Kenny off): the band is interesting and cool.
KH: We fit in with such a large variety of bands, or we don't fit in.
JS: We don't fit in anywhere; that's the problem.
KH: We can't have a band that's a little too strange or a little too cool, because our fans would usually get brutal on us.
KH: We fit in with such a large variety of bands, or we don't fit in.
JS: We don't fit in anywhere; that's the problem.
KH: We can't have a band that's a little too strange or a little too cool, because our fans would usually get brutal on us.
ShoutWeb: You can't take Britney Spears on the road with you. It's not like Britney Spears would open for you, but you could imagine the situation.
KH: We've had bands like, ah, what the hell was their name? The dark one. They were really cool guys. One of Peter's acts that he got on.
JS: Lycia?
KH: Yeah. I thought that they were a really cool band, but our fans just did not understand them.
ShoutWeb: Do you like having a very fervent fanbase? Do you enjoy the fans? Do you enjoy contact with the fans?
JS: They're cool.
KH: Of all of the people in this business, they're the ones that I'd rather meet. We're ultimately doing it all for them. We have a very good track record with our fans. We go out and we sign things every show. One time at a festival we sat at an-hour-and-a-half to two hours and we signed thousands (of things). People just lined up; we signed. That's the part of it that I enjoy. And what I really appreciate about it is that's how we sold albums; we toured continuously at a grass roots level. To watch the crowds grow was great.
ShoutWeb: I think that the Nine Inch Nails tour was a big boost.
KH: But that was hard for us. We got a lot of shit thrown at us: tomatoes, quarters, teeth, all kinds of thing. It was hard to open up for Nine Inch Nails, especially at that time because they were such an underground phenomenon and really hot at that point. It was very cool to be into Nine Inch Nails, but it wasn't very cool to be into Type O Negative.
ShoutWeb: How did you survive through that?
KH: It's like this. If you're going to go into live performance, you gotta expect to make an ass out of yourself at least two-thirds of the time. You make an ass out of yourself, you get off of the stage, you want to shoot yourself in the head because there's a bunch of assholes that you don't want to see in the front lounge. You can't call home because your relationship is destroyed already. There's nothing else you can do. You can just jump in your bunk, close your eyes, go to sleep, and hope to make up for it the next day. There always is a next day, or ten more.
ShoutWeb: Do you think you guys are as, not necessarily morbid, but serious in real life as your image?
KH: No, people take us too seriously.
JS: We are morbid, but not serious.
KH: It's mixed. Most people either want to cry to us or they want to laugh. It's a tragic comedy.
(Another note to say that this interview was conducted in July of 1999)
ShoutWeb: What did you think of Woodstock '99?
KH: I don't know anything about it. I did hear a story that something technically went wrong with the Chili Peppers or something.
ShoutWeb: There were these riots because the food prices were too high. What do you think about this whole exploitation of the youth just to.?
KH: I think that at festivals, it's a little more out of hand than at other places. I wouldn't say that so much for the OzzFest. The OzzFest is run very tightly, but they exploit the bands.
ShoutWeb: How do festivals exploit the bands?
KH: They won't let you keep merchandise when they sell 50 percent of your merchandise and then sell their own. That cuts your profits, right there, off the back. It's tough. I don't know what goes on in the States because the only festival we've played in the States is OzzFest and it's run very well.
ShoutWeb: What did you think of Woodstock '99?
KH: I don't know anything about it. I did hear a story that something technically went wrong with the Chili Peppers or something.
ShoutWeb: There were these riots because the food prices were too high. What do you think about this whole exploitation of the youth just to.?
KH: I think that at festivals, it's a little more out of hand than at other places. I wouldn't say that so much for the OzzFest. The OzzFest is run very tightly, but they exploit the bands.
ShoutWeb: How do festivals exploit the bands?
KH: They won't let you keep merchandise when they sell 50 percent of your merchandise and then sell their own. That cuts your profits, right there, off the back. It's tough. I don't know what goes on in the States because the only festival we've played in the States is OzzFest and it's run very well.
At this point, I'm starting to get slightly offended by the guys' chain-smoking (in a non-smoking hotel room no less), so I bring it up.
ShoutWeb: I'm curious to hear how you guys started smoking?
KH: Cigarettes? I started when I was twelve. I can blame it all on my mother because the first cigarette I tried was from her (stash). It's the usual stupid shit that happens. I have a reason to stop because I had really bad asthma when I was a child, but I've always had a death wish from the time I was seven.
ShoutWeb: What happened when you were seven?
KH: I think that maybe it was before that; I was a little more timid before that. I think that my darker years were between six and ten. I used to hang off of six story buildings because I liked the butterflies it gave me in my stomach.
The batteries in my tape recorder go out, so a portion of the conversation here is missing.
ShoutWeb: Why do you think a lot of bands and the music industry in general are so drug-a-centric?
KH: That's a cliché, but to tell you the truth, there was a time before where it probably was not a cliché. It starts for specific reasons. Number one is the dislocation of being on the road where there's sort of an emptiness. And number two is all the time between playing is mostly waiting. There's also the whole excitement of every night being Saturday night. What do people do on the weekends? They drink, right? You go on the road, every night is a weekend. There's also stage fright, which most musicians have because most musicians are square pegs anyhow, the nerds from high school.
ShoutWeb: Did you consider yourself to be a nerd in high school?
KH: Yeah, I had my nerd stage. Then I turned into a dirtbag. I was the kid in the back of the class in the row closest to the door so I could run out when the bell rang. I was the kid who never raised his hand.
JS: And the kid who never showed up too.
KH: I just stayed at home all day and went out at night and smoked pot with my friends. I regret that. I got my high school diploma, but I didn't find my way back to education in my early 20s. It was a very nihilistic thing to get away from education in my teenage years. I was doing well in school, but socially it wasn't great. The only thing I regret in my whole life is dropping out of school.
ShoutWeb: Why do you think a lot of bands and the music industry in general are so drug-a-centric?
KH: That's a cliché, but to tell you the truth, there was a time before where it probably was not a cliché. It starts for specific reasons. Number one is the dislocation of being on the road where there's sort of an emptiness. And number two is all the time between playing is mostly waiting. There's also the whole excitement of every night being Saturday night. What do people do on the weekends? They drink, right? You go on the road, every night is a weekend. There's also stage fright, which most musicians have because most musicians are square pegs anyhow, the nerds from high school.
ShoutWeb: Did you consider yourself to be a nerd in high school?
KH: Yeah, I had my nerd stage. Then I turned into a dirtbag. I was the kid in the back of the class in the row closest to the door so I could run out when the bell rang. I was the kid who never raised his hand.
JS: And the kid who never showed up too.
KH: I just stayed at home all day and went out at night and smoked pot with my friends. I regret that. I got my high school diploma, but I didn't find my way back to education in my early 20s. It was a very nihilistic thing to get away from education in my teenage years. I was doing well in school, but socially it wasn't great. The only thing I regret in my whole life is dropping out of school.
ShoutWeb: That's very profound. It's good to hear that. By hearing what you're saying, somebody might realize that dropping out of school isn't the best thing.
KH: Yeah, I hope so.
ShoutWeb: They'll think, "hey, maybe if I stick it out."
KH: Stick it out so you'll have your education. You can go back and get your bachelor's degree.
ShoutWeb: So what do you think of the MP3 revolution?
KH: It's just a revolution. If I was in the 1930s and rejected television, I'd feel like an ass right now. You should know that the artists are going to get fucked because of it. That's what happens at the inception of any revolution
ShoutWeb: The whole music industry seems to be against people distributing free music electronically.
KH: If you can't channel money down to the record company, then the artist definitely won't get paid.
ShoutWeb: Don't you earn the majority of your money through touring?
KH: No, the majority of money comes from publishing. It should come from touring, but we're an expensive band to keep on the road because we're wimps.
KH: Yeah, I hope so.
ShoutWeb: They'll think, "hey, maybe if I stick it out."
KH: Stick it out so you'll have your education. You can go back and get your bachelor's degree.
ShoutWeb: So what do you think of the MP3 revolution?
KH: It's just a revolution. If I was in the 1930s and rejected television, I'd feel like an ass right now. You should know that the artists are going to get fucked because of it. That's what happens at the inception of any revolution
ShoutWeb: The whole music industry seems to be against people distributing free music electronically.
KH: If you can't channel money down to the record company, then the artist definitely won't get paid.
ShoutWeb: Don't you earn the majority of your money through touring?
KH: No, the majority of money comes from publishing. It should come from touring, but we're an expensive band to keep on the road because we're wimps.
ShoutWeb: How elaborate is your live show?
KH: It's not that elaborate. For October Rust, we had this fall, forest effect. We had these dead bushes on stage that used to latch onto my guitar strap. The backdrop was cool. We had this dead forest silhouette with a green dusk radiating in the background. We're thinking of something urban-apocalyptic for "World Coming Down." We might get some garbage cans and broken sidewalk on stage. What we can afford, we'll do. We don't go for things that are spectacular; we go for things that fit the mood of the album.
ShoutWeb: What is your goal for "World Coming Down?"
KH: Well, I think the goal was to put something out as honest as we could that reflected our present state of mood and make it as real as possible. We pretty much got that. Whatever happens from here is pretty much up to the response. Our goal is to make enough money to stay alive in this business to be good enough to stay alive in this business. Which I would say is about 500,000 albums. If we don't sell a half a million albums, we' re dead.
ShoutWeb: So what are some of your favorite up and coming bands?
KH: I don't have very many up and coming bands. I pretty much lock myself in a room when it comes to music. The last CD I bought was "Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin."
KH: I don't have very many up and coming bands. I pretty much lock myself in a room when it comes to music. The last CD I bought was "Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin."
ShoutWeb: What's in your CD player right now? The Johnny Cash album?
KH: Yeah
ShoutWeb: You guys covered Seals and Crofts' "Summer Breeze" on "Bloody Kisses." What inspired you to cover that?
KH: Peter picked the song. It was reverting back to a time of safety in childhood. It made him feel like he was close to his mother again.
ShoutWeb: Since we have to wrap this up, do you want to say anything else?
JS: Shalom.
KH: Nothing works, don't get frustrated, just accept it. Shoutweb (to Johnny Kelly, who has been sitting quietly during the interview): Do you want to say anything?
Johnny Kelly: No
We laugh. I am then ushered up to Peter Steele's room for a five minute conversation
KH: Yeah
ShoutWeb: You guys covered Seals and Crofts' "Summer Breeze" on "Bloody Kisses." What inspired you to cover that?
KH: Peter picked the song. It was reverting back to a time of safety in childhood. It made him feel like he was close to his mother again.
ShoutWeb: Since we have to wrap this up, do you want to say anything else?
JS: Shalom.
KH: Nothing works, don't get frustrated, just accept it. Shoutweb (to Johnny Kelly, who has been sitting quietly during the interview): Do you want to say anything?
Johnny Kelly: No
We laugh. I am then ushered up to Peter Steele's room for a five minute conversation
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Interview#1999/2: NYROCK.COM (Peter Steele, November 1999)
I wasn’t in the least surprised when the sky turned gray as I put Type O Negative’s CD, World Coming Down, on the changer, the denizens of doom and gloom that they are. I was pleasantly surprised, however, upon meeting vocalist Pete Steele, to learn that he has an excellent sense of humor – a touch on the dark side, but that’s to be expected. Among all his varying shades of black he seems to have a fondness for a good drop of red – wine, that is, not blood....
NYROCK: Well, you're sound has changed quite a lot since October Rust [1996].
PETE: We stripped it down. You could say October Rust was a bit... lush. We didn't want to repeat the mistake we made with it so World Coming Down is more, yeah, stripped.
NYROCK: It sounds as if you're almost embarrassed....
PETE: Embarrassed is wrong. I'm not embarrassed or ashamed of October Rust. I made the mistake of listening to the damned record label and tried to make it sound a bit more radio compatible. I don't know why I listened to them, but I did. My own mistake. But I like October Rust; it's my favorite album. I'm proud of my song writing. But the label probably thought we'd sell a couple of million albums. I don't know what drugs they were on. I guess they wanted to make another remake of Bloody Kisses, Bloody Kisses II or something like that. They didn't get it.
NYROCK: Bloody Kisses [1993] was your big success....
PETE: I don't think it was. Look at it; it's out a good deal longer than October Rust. It had a lot more time to sell copies. Considering that October Rust hasn't had as much time as Bloody Kisses it does really well, even better than Bloody Kisses, but they just don't get it. It didn't flop. Maybe in their book, but not in mine.
NYROCK: It doesn't sound like you're happy with your label....
PETE: Tell me one band that's happy with their label. OK, bands need labels, but labels need bands just as much. The thing is I'm not happy that I'm stuck with a label, tied to it. 13 years ago I signed a contract and I'm still stuck with the contract. I'm still paying for my mistake.
NYROCK: Well, you're sound has changed quite a lot since October Rust [1996].
PETE: We stripped it down. You could say October Rust was a bit... lush. We didn't want to repeat the mistake we made with it so World Coming Down is more, yeah, stripped.
NYROCK: It sounds as if you're almost embarrassed....
PETE: Embarrassed is wrong. I'm not embarrassed or ashamed of October Rust. I made the mistake of listening to the damned record label and tried to make it sound a bit more radio compatible. I don't know why I listened to them, but I did. My own mistake. But I like October Rust; it's my favorite album. I'm proud of my song writing. But the label probably thought we'd sell a couple of million albums. I don't know what drugs they were on. I guess they wanted to make another remake of Bloody Kisses, Bloody Kisses II or something like that. They didn't get it.
NYROCK: Bloody Kisses [1993] was your big success....
PETE: I don't think it was. Look at it; it's out a good deal longer than October Rust. It had a lot more time to sell copies. Considering that October Rust hasn't had as much time as Bloody Kisses it does really well, even better than Bloody Kisses, but they just don't get it. It didn't flop. Maybe in their book, but not in mine.
NYROCK: It doesn't sound like you're happy with your label....
PETE: Tell me one band that's happy with their label. OK, bands need labels, but labels need bands just as much. The thing is I'm not happy that I'm stuck with a label, tied to it. 13 years ago I signed a contract and I'm still stuck with the contract. I'm still paying for my mistake.
NYROCK: Is that the contract you signed with Carnivore?
PETE: It is, and it's a millstone around my neck, believe me. I'm paying dearly for it. I'm not saying that I'm starving. And I'm not greedy. I don't want to be rich, but I don't think we have a fair deal. With a bit more money we could do a lot of things, not for ourselves, but musically. I'm quite happy to be healthy, to have friends. I think that's being rich. But we're financially dependent and it sucks. Come on, I'm 37 and 13 years ago I made a mistake and it's a bit long to pay for a mistake.
What really pisses me off is the fact that Roadrunner let a couple of bands change the label if they got a deal with a major, but they won't let us go. On the other hand, we have complete artistic freedom. We owe them another studio album and then we're free, but that might take years. Of course, we could just record any album, but we're musicians and I wouldn't want to release some junk just to fulfill a contract.
NYROCK: How would you describe your sound? It's rock but you guys do look a bit Gothic.
PETE: And I thought I just looked frightening. A big, pale slab of meat.
NYROCK: Playgirl didn't seem to think so....
PETE: Oh, shit. That's going to haunt me. I created a monster. Ha, ha, ha! No, I showed the monster!
NYROCK: I remember some wild rumors that the picture was tampered with....
PETE: You're trying to phrase it delicately. Ha, ha, ha! Well, my dick is real! Come on, I'm 6' 6" and in proportion. What do you expect?
NYROCK: I didn't even see it. I just heard about it.
PETE: And I thought everybody saw it. After I did it, I thought, "Oh my God, what did I do?" It was more than upsetting that so many guys had it. Girls, OK, but there just seemed to be at least as many guys. Not that I'm homophobic, but it was certainly irritating. I can't believe that you haven't seen it. Go check it out. It's the August 1995 edition.
NYROCK: Well, it's not quite my kind of thing.
PETE: I understand that, but I thought about it a bit too late. When I had to sign the first few posters with suspicious stains on them, I realized what was going on. It's true, women just don't buy Playgirl; it's all the gays who buy it. I have no problem with homosexuals, but I'm fucking straight and it is irritating to think what they want to do with me.
NYROCK: How would you describe your sound? It's rock but you guys do look a bit Gothic.
PETE: And I thought I just looked frightening. A big, pale slab of meat.
NYROCK: Playgirl didn't seem to think so....
PETE: Oh, shit. That's going to haunt me. I created a monster. Ha, ha, ha! No, I showed the monster!
NYROCK: I remember some wild rumors that the picture was tampered with....
PETE: You're trying to phrase it delicately. Ha, ha, ha! Well, my dick is real! Come on, I'm 6' 6" and in proportion. What do you expect?
NYROCK: I didn't even see it. I just heard about it.
PETE: And I thought everybody saw it. After I did it, I thought, "Oh my God, what did I do?" It was more than upsetting that so many guys had it. Girls, OK, but there just seemed to be at least as many guys. Not that I'm homophobic, but it was certainly irritating. I can't believe that you haven't seen it. Go check it out. It's the August 1995 edition.
NYROCK: Well, it's not quite my kind of thing.
PETE: I understand that, but I thought about it a bit too late. When I had to sign the first few posters with suspicious stains on them, I realized what was going on. It's true, women just don't buy Playgirl; it's all the gays who buy it. I have no problem with homosexuals, but I'm fucking straight and it is irritating to think what they want to do with me.
NYROCK: Oh, come on. Women have to deal with it daily, and we don't have the benefit of being 6' 6".
PETE: I never thought about it, but I guess you're right.
NYROCK: You seem rather pleasant. Some journalists claim that you're difficult....
PETE: We all behave like idiots from time to time. Somehow I just seem to have the divine luck that every time I'm a complete asshole somebody with a camera is around. Another thing is that a lot of people don't seem to get my humor and in Europe there is the additional language barrier. I say something that's completely over the top and the journalists just give me a blank stare. They take it seriously and I get the reputation of being a complete dick.
NYROCK: One thing I noticed on World Coming Down is the absence of women in the lyrics.
PETE: There's more to life than just sex. I mean there's also food, sleep and music. OK, it isn't all that much, but at least it's something!
.
NYROCK: Sounds like you're not exactly happy with women....
PETE: There we go again. Whatever I do, I just seem to do it wrong. If I write about women and sex, people claim I exploit women. If I don't write songs about women, people claim I hate them. What can I do?
NYROCK: Your previous albums seem to be rather inspired by women....
PETE: Bloody Kisses, definitely. Then the groupie shit started. Girls saw me as a sex symbol. I'm sick of that. I mean, come on. I don't want to be some sex symbol. If somebody thinks I'm sexy, I'm flattered, but the whole image thing just sucks.
NYROCK: So what's up with the song "Pyretta Blaze"? It sounds a bit masochistic....
PETE: It does, doesn't it? Well, but it's only a weird fantasy. Don't worry. I might be pretty sick, but I'm nowhere near sick enough to fancy getting serious burns while having sex.
NYROCK: You have a steady fan base in Europe and have toured there often enough. How do you adjust to Europe? After all, it is somewhat different....
PETE: It's weird; I hate being on a tour bus there. The busses are definitely better in the States, but I like the different cultures, the fact that there is a culture. It makes you realize that [the States] seem to have a lot of different cultures, but no real culture. Look at what we consider old here in America; most Europeans only laugh about it. You guys are sitting on some ancient history. And the wine! I pay at least 18 bucks for a bottle of Californian red that's drinkable. In Europe, I could get a crate of wine for the same money! But I do get homesick. After a while I miss Brooklyn. I can get so homesick that I wish I was stuck in a traffic jam right on the Brooklyn Bridge.
NYROCK: Sounds like you're not exactly happy with women....
PETE: There we go again. Whatever I do, I just seem to do it wrong. If I write about women and sex, people claim I exploit women. If I don't write songs about women, people claim I hate them. What can I do?
NYROCK: Your previous albums seem to be rather inspired by women....
PETE: Bloody Kisses, definitely. Then the groupie shit started. Girls saw me as a sex symbol. I'm sick of that. I mean, come on. I don't want to be some sex symbol. If somebody thinks I'm sexy, I'm flattered, but the whole image thing just sucks.
NYROCK: So what's up with the song "Pyretta Blaze"? It sounds a bit masochistic....
PETE: It does, doesn't it? Well, but it's only a weird fantasy. Don't worry. I might be pretty sick, but I'm nowhere near sick enough to fancy getting serious burns while having sex.
NYROCK: You have a steady fan base in Europe and have toured there often enough. How do you adjust to Europe? After all, it is somewhat different....
PETE: It's weird; I hate being on a tour bus there. The busses are definitely better in the States, but I like the different cultures, the fact that there is a culture. It makes you realize that [the States] seem to have a lot of different cultures, but no real culture. Look at what we consider old here in America; most Europeans only laugh about it. You guys are sitting on some ancient history. And the wine! I pay at least 18 bucks for a bottle of Californian red that's drinkable. In Europe, I could get a crate of wine for the same money! But I do get homesick. After a while I miss Brooklyn. I can get so homesick that I wish I was stuck in a traffic jam right on the Brooklyn Bridge.
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Interview#1999/3: "At Home With Peter Steele" (Peter Steele, 1999/2000)
Type O Negative's frontman, the imposing six foot-plus Pete Steele, has lived in Brooklyn, New York City, since he was 19 years old. He invites Ian Winwood in for a glass of red wine and a chat about carpentry and pancake making...
HOME SWEET HOME
"I'VE been living down here since I was 19 years old. My parents and sister live upstairs, and I moved down to the basement when they started to get really deaf. I would come home and try to get to sleep cos I had school the next day, and they'd be blasting the radio, so there was no way I could ever sleep. One night I just got really fed up so I dragged my bed downstairs.
"My old band Carnivore ['80s New York hardcore outfit] was quite a sight and sound! We rehearsed here and used to make everything miked - drums miked, amplifiers miked, Marshall stacks. How my parents dealt with it I just don't know. And it didn't look anything like this, it was old brick and these really ugly fluorescent lights.
"When I moved in I decided I didn't want to live like an animal, so the first thing I did was put a bathroom in so I didn't have to keep going upstairs all the time. Then I put a closet in, got a bunch of weights so I didn't have to keep going to the gym whenever I feel like working out - which is generally every day. So everything I need is right here. I've got music, I've got my bed. It's very small, it's very comfortable, it's efficient.
"I noticed that I got kind of cold and draughty down here during the winter time. Now I love the cold, but from time to time when I would have female guests they would get a little chilly. Apparently my body heat is not sufficient. So these pipes [red piping that runs across the ceiling] used to be covered with asbestos insulation, and I got the bright idea to just rip it off. I bagged it and tied it up and got rid of it. And it gets quite warm down here now."
HOME SWEET HOME
"I'VE been living down here since I was 19 years old. My parents and sister live upstairs, and I moved down to the basement when they started to get really deaf. I would come home and try to get to sleep cos I had school the next day, and they'd be blasting the radio, so there was no way I could ever sleep. One night I just got really fed up so I dragged my bed downstairs.
"My old band Carnivore ['80s New York hardcore outfit] was quite a sight and sound! We rehearsed here and used to make everything miked - drums miked, amplifiers miked, Marshall stacks. How my parents dealt with it I just don't know. And it didn't look anything like this, it was old brick and these really ugly fluorescent lights.
"When I moved in I decided I didn't want to live like an animal, so the first thing I did was put a bathroom in so I didn't have to keep going upstairs all the time. Then I put a closet in, got a bunch of weights so I didn't have to keep going to the gym whenever I feel like working out - which is generally every day. So everything I need is right here. I've got music, I've got my bed. It's very small, it's very comfortable, it's efficient.
"I noticed that I got kind of cold and draughty down here during the winter time. Now I love the cold, but from time to time when I would have female guests they would get a little chilly. Apparently my body heat is not sufficient. So these pipes [red piping that runs across the ceiling] used to be covered with asbestos insulation, and I got the bright idea to just rip it off. I bagged it and tied it up and got rid of it. And it gets quite warm down here now."
THE DOUBLE BASS
"I bought the double bass from a bassist lived in Staten Island, right next to Brooklyn. He had about fifteen for sale and I chose the least worst. It cost me $1300, which looking back I don't really think was worth the money. But I painted it, I glued, I refurbished it and stuff. I can play it after a fashion, but usually it just hangs there grinning.
"Where I usually write [music] is over on the keyboard. I'd put the closet in and I had a little space there, so I thought why not get a little music area. So if I'm feeling sorry for myself I've got my dopey little thing here which I can play on and hopefully create some new music.
THE HOUSE-PROUD BACHELOR
"I didn't tidy the place today just because you guys were coming, this isn't even up to my standards. I've been at the studio so long that I haven't been able to get the place up to a standard that I can be happy with. But I try to clean here every two or three days; you know, mop, sweep, clean up. I try not to create a mess, ever. When I take something out, I put it back; if I turn on a light I turn it off again. So I can generally get the whole place cleaned up in about an hour or an hour and a half. So actually I can work the housework into my workout. If I have to rest for a minute between a set, I have time to make the bed. Or sweep the floor between the next set. And I'm doing thirty sets now during a workout, so that's half an hour of time where I can tidy the house. And if I get called on the phone during a workout I can just put them on speaker phone and they can hear me grunt, fart and moan as I try to push up the weights.
If and when you use my bathroom, another sign of success is having a phone by the toilet. That means I can pick it up and best utilize my time!"
"I bought the double bass from a bassist lived in Staten Island, right next to Brooklyn. He had about fifteen for sale and I chose the least worst. It cost me $1300, which looking back I don't really think was worth the money. But I painted it, I glued, I refurbished it and stuff. I can play it after a fashion, but usually it just hangs there grinning.
"Where I usually write [music] is over on the keyboard. I'd put the closet in and I had a little space there, so I thought why not get a little music area. So if I'm feeling sorry for myself I've got my dopey little thing here which I can play on and hopefully create some new music.
THE HOUSE-PROUD BACHELOR
"I didn't tidy the place today just because you guys were coming, this isn't even up to my standards. I've been at the studio so long that I haven't been able to get the place up to a standard that I can be happy with. But I try to clean here every two or three days; you know, mop, sweep, clean up. I try not to create a mess, ever. When I take something out, I put it back; if I turn on a light I turn it off again. So I can generally get the whole place cleaned up in about an hour or an hour and a half. So actually I can work the housework into my workout. If I have to rest for a minute between a set, I have time to make the bed. Or sweep the floor between the next set. And I'm doing thirty sets now during a workout, so that's half an hour of time where I can tidy the house. And if I get called on the phone during a workout I can just put them on speaker phone and they can hear me grunt, fart and moan as I try to push up the weights.
If and when you use my bathroom, another sign of success is having a phone by the toilet. That means I can pick it up and best utilize my time!"
COOKING PANCAKES
"My cooking is actually quite good. I don't like to cook just for myself, but whenever I have people around me I like to cook 'em a good meal. And no one seems to complain - they always come back for more, and there's no visits to the hospital or anything. One of the things I like to cook is pancakes. I've loved pancakes since I was seven or eight years old. And if I had any batter I'd cook you some now.
"Being in the studio means that two out of three meals each day are consumed outside of the house, so I only really eat breakfast here. I have TV dinners in the feezer, some soda, pickles...regular stuff. I also have some pretein shakes, and I drink two of those a day. I try to maintain a protein intake of one gram to two grams of body weight, which is a lot of protein - we're talking about five quarts of milk per day!
"This has to do with the weights, which came about when one day I looked at myself and I didn't really like what I saw, so I decided to get into exercise. I like to challenge myself and I like to set myself goals. I work out for six of seven days, which is difficult with recording and touring. But I meet guys who went to high school with who are my age and they look like they're ten years older than me. They've got bellies and they're going bald, they're unhappy with their marriages or they're kids and they spend the whole time complaining. I just didn't want to get like that."
LET'S TALK ABOUT ART
"I like totalitarian poster art. I guess that's one of my few hobbies. I like art that glorifies the State, that glorifies women, the land and the worker. It's a really strange thing, because I find these aspects of fascism and communism so similar. An outsider that doesn't know anything about them would say that these are the same thing. The ideals go so far left and right that they end up just coming round full circle. I find that ironic and amusing at the same time.
"Also up there you'll find that I have some books on how to fix things - carpentry, electrical work, plumbing. I refuse to pay anybody to do a job that I could potentially do myself. I'll go out and buy a book, figure it out and do the job myself. The way I look at it is that even if I screw the job up it's going to come out cheaper that paying somebody else to do it. And plus I get a free education. So if something breaks I can fix it, no problem.
"My cooking is actually quite good. I don't like to cook just for myself, but whenever I have people around me I like to cook 'em a good meal. And no one seems to complain - they always come back for more, and there's no visits to the hospital or anything. One of the things I like to cook is pancakes. I've loved pancakes since I was seven or eight years old. And if I had any batter I'd cook you some now.
"Being in the studio means that two out of three meals each day are consumed outside of the house, so I only really eat breakfast here. I have TV dinners in the feezer, some soda, pickles...regular stuff. I also have some pretein shakes, and I drink two of those a day. I try to maintain a protein intake of one gram to two grams of body weight, which is a lot of protein - we're talking about five quarts of milk per day!
"This has to do with the weights, which came about when one day I looked at myself and I didn't really like what I saw, so I decided to get into exercise. I like to challenge myself and I like to set myself goals. I work out for six of seven days, which is difficult with recording and touring. But I meet guys who went to high school with who are my age and they look like they're ten years older than me. They've got bellies and they're going bald, they're unhappy with their marriages or they're kids and they spend the whole time complaining. I just didn't want to get like that."
LET'S TALK ABOUT ART
"I like totalitarian poster art. I guess that's one of my few hobbies. I like art that glorifies the State, that glorifies women, the land and the worker. It's a really strange thing, because I find these aspects of fascism and communism so similar. An outsider that doesn't know anything about them would say that these are the same thing. The ideals go so far left and right that they end up just coming round full circle. I find that ironic and amusing at the same time.
"Also up there you'll find that I have some books on how to fix things - carpentry, electrical work, plumbing. I refuse to pay anybody to do a job that I could potentially do myself. I'll go out and buy a book, figure it out and do the job myself. The way I look at it is that even if I screw the job up it's going to come out cheaper that paying somebody else to do it. And plus I get a free education. So if something breaks I can fix it, no problem.
THE 'HOOD
"I do like Brooklyn. Right now I can't really see myself anywhere else. Every place that I've been to on tour, as much as it was stunning and beautiful, I've always longed to come here. And it's really nothing special, I'm just used to it. I know where everything is, I have friends here, family. It's the devil that I know.
"Some parts of Brooklyn are kind of rough, but if you're stupid enough to go venture there then you deserve what you get. A lot of bands make a big deal of that aspect, but we don't because: a) other bands are doing it, and b) we don't see ourselves as boys from the 'hood. We're not into that.
"Brooklyn is just made up of vastly different neighborhoods. You have carjacks and shootings every day; you have beautiful tree-lined streets with gorgeous houses. That's a complete 180-degree polarization. It's like a little country. There are beaches here, there are woods here. Mostly this neighborhood is Jewish. A couple of blocks down there are a lot of Russian; there are also Koreans, Poles, Irish, Puerto Ricans... And there are no problems. I don't know if that qualifies as harmony. I mean, I don't see blacks and Russians walking hand-in-hand, but they're not throwing bricks at each other either. There's no real inter-racial crime or violence. Well there is a little, but that's something that happens everywhere. It's not something exclusive to Brooklyn.
"I do like Brooklyn. Right now I can't really see myself anywhere else. Every place that I've been to on tour, as much as it was stunning and beautiful, I've always longed to come here. And it's really nothing special, I'm just used to it. I know where everything is, I have friends here, family. It's the devil that I know.
"Some parts of Brooklyn are kind of rough, but if you're stupid enough to go venture there then you deserve what you get. A lot of bands make a big deal of that aspect, but we don't because: a) other bands are doing it, and b) we don't see ourselves as boys from the 'hood. We're not into that.
"Brooklyn is just made up of vastly different neighborhoods. You have carjacks and shootings every day; you have beautiful tree-lined streets with gorgeous houses. That's a complete 180-degree polarization. It's like a little country. There are beaches here, there are woods here. Mostly this neighborhood is Jewish. A couple of blocks down there are a lot of Russian; there are also Koreans, Poles, Irish, Puerto Ricans... And there are no problems. I don't know if that qualifies as harmony. I mean, I don't see blacks and Russians walking hand-in-hand, but they're not throwing bricks at each other either. There's no real inter-racial crime or violence. Well there is a little, but that's something that happens everywhere. It's not something exclusive to Brooklyn.
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Interview#2000/1: "At Home With Peter Steele" KERRANG (Peter Steele, 2000)
In a subterranean Brooklyn basement, Type O Negative front man Peter Steele lives with his two cats, a set of bodybuilding weights and a frankly alarming range of pills. And then there are the 24 pairs of identical underpants...
It makes perfect sense that Peter Steele lives underground. Bassist and front man for Type O Negative, the Dark Lord of goth metal lives in a basement apartment, underneath the Brooklyn house that he grew up in, where his mother still resides.
Renovated by Steele himself, the apartment is long and narrow, primarily decorated in neat lines of black, gray, red and white, with large mirrors to give the impression of more space . To the left is a raised platform sleeping area, then a miniature gym where an impressive numbers of weights decorate the walls along with several bass guitars - the only real evidence of how Peter makes his living.
Various doors lead to the toilet and a workshop room, while a small living area opens into the kitchen. Books line a number of shelves, and the occasional piece of fine art appears on the walls. Orderly and clean, the portrayed in the press as being obsessed with his own impeding demise.
With a Type O Negative 'Best Of...' album soon to be released - titled, with typically self-deprecating humor, 'The Least Worst Of Type O Negative' - this seems like the ideal opportunity for Steele to give Kerrang! A guided tour around his subterranean, yet surprisingly un-Halloweeny abode...
Bathroom
Peter: "This is a very important room to me, because when you're away on tour, bathing and defecating becomes luxuries. So it's very nice to be home and do those two activities when nature dictates. I installed the bathroom myself, including the toilet and the shower stall, but my favorite thing is having a telephone in here. I have the Periodic Table Of Elements above the toilet, so that I can see exactly which element I am urinating out."
It makes perfect sense that Peter Steele lives underground. Bassist and front man for Type O Negative, the Dark Lord of goth metal lives in a basement apartment, underneath the Brooklyn house that he grew up in, where his mother still resides.
Renovated by Steele himself, the apartment is long and narrow, primarily decorated in neat lines of black, gray, red and white, with large mirrors to give the impression of more space . To the left is a raised platform sleeping area, then a miniature gym where an impressive numbers of weights decorate the walls along with several bass guitars - the only real evidence of how Peter makes his living.
Various doors lead to the toilet and a workshop room, while a small living area opens into the kitchen. Books line a number of shelves, and the occasional piece of fine art appears on the walls. Orderly and clean, the portrayed in the press as being obsessed with his own impeding demise.
With a Type O Negative 'Best Of...' album soon to be released - titled, with typically self-deprecating humor, 'The Least Worst Of Type O Negative' - this seems like the ideal opportunity for Steele to give Kerrang! A guided tour around his subterranean, yet surprisingly un-Halloweeny abode...
Bathroom
Peter: "This is a very important room to me, because when you're away on tour, bathing and defecating becomes luxuries. So it's very nice to be home and do those two activities when nature dictates. I installed the bathroom myself, including the toilet and the shower stall, but my favorite thing is having a telephone in here. I have the Periodic Table Of Elements above the toilet, so that I can see exactly which element I am urinating out."
Cats
Peter: "The true loves of my life. Weena and Grizzelda. Grizzelda I've had for 10 years, Weena I found outside the door last year. She's only one year old. I like that they're independent. If they don't love you, they're not gonna show you they love you. They do what the f**k they want."
Peter's friend Tony
Peter: "I've known Tony for about 15 years, but we've become close friends in the last couple. He's like the brother I never had. There are times I need his help, and times he needs mine, and we have no qualms about dropping anything to go and do what's right for each other."
Workshop and tools
Peter: "This is the room that I keep all my tools in, as you can see. Spray paint, every power tool imaginable, arc welder... I've gotten really handy with tools because I live in an old house and things break real often. Now we're gonna do some welding..."
Washer and dryer
Peter: "When you're away on tour, it's a luxury to have clean clothes. I take 12 pairs of pants, 24 pairs of underwear, 24 pairs of socks and 24 shirts on the road. The point is that doing my laundry at home is a luxury. I installed it myself and I had to fix a gas pipe, which is pretty scary if you don't know what the f**k you're doing."
CD collection
Peter: "Music is the most positive way to alleviate boredom. I have everything from The Beatles to Black Sabbath to Laibach, Devo, Cocteau Twins... very diverse. The most unusual thing that someone would find in this collection? Probably the 100 dollars that I hid in here that I can't find right now. Either that, or The Village People. Man, they rocked!"
Peter: "The true loves of my life. Weena and Grizzelda. Grizzelda I've had for 10 years, Weena I found outside the door last year. She's only one year old. I like that they're independent. If they don't love you, they're not gonna show you they love you. They do what the f**k they want."
Peter's friend Tony
Peter: "I've known Tony for about 15 years, but we've become close friends in the last couple. He's like the brother I never had. There are times I need his help, and times he needs mine, and we have no qualms about dropping anything to go and do what's right for each other."
Workshop and tools
Peter: "This is the room that I keep all my tools in, as you can see. Spray paint, every power tool imaginable, arc welder... I've gotten really handy with tools because I live in an old house and things break real often. Now we're gonna do some welding..."
Washer and dryer
Peter: "When you're away on tour, it's a luxury to have clean clothes. I take 12 pairs of pants, 24 pairs of underwear, 24 pairs of socks and 24 shirts on the road. The point is that doing my laundry at home is a luxury. I installed it myself and I had to fix a gas pipe, which is pretty scary if you don't know what the f**k you're doing."
CD collection
Peter: "Music is the most positive way to alleviate boredom. I have everything from The Beatles to Black Sabbath to Laibach, Devo, Cocteau Twins... very diverse. The most unusual thing that someone would find in this collection? Probably the 100 dollars that I hid in here that I can't find right now. Either that, or The Village People. Man, they rocked!"
Kitchen
Peter: "I love my kitchen, because I keep all my junk food in one spot (opens the refrigerator). Everything I love is right here - frankfurters, Greek food, tuna fish, iced-tea, pickles. It's actually very boring to cook for oneself, and it's even more boring to eat alone, so most of my meals are delivered. I like the kitchen because I can eat whatever I want."
Vitamins
Peter: "Touring can be a very stressful situation, so I think it's a good thing to take vitamins. Especially on tour, because you don't get balanced meals. So I take a lot of minerals, vitamins, protein supplements, creatine (amino-acid found in the muscles of vertebrates - Medical Ed), Diet Fuel so that I don't become a fat bastard, St. John's Wort. I take about 100 tablets every day."
Weights
Peter: "A band should look as good as they sound - which is why Type O Negative sucks. But if a band has an erotic image, I think it's important to keep one's body in shape. I usually work out every other day. I used to go to Lou ('The Incredible Hulk') Ferrigno's gym, but it closed. These used to be in the gym, which I bought from them for a very good price."
Car
Peter: "(Above the window-rattling roar of the engine). The car is an '85 Grand Prix which I had modified. I have a PA system in the car so I can yell at people, plus a really loud horn. The paint design is based on a locomotive. I love my car. I feel like it's an extension of myself. It's black and yellow, and any creatures that evolve in nature that are black and yellow are notoriously poisonous."
Type O Negative's new album, 'The Least Worst Of Type O Negative', is released on October 30.
Peter: "I love my kitchen, because I keep all my junk food in one spot (opens the refrigerator). Everything I love is right here - frankfurters, Greek food, tuna fish, iced-tea, pickles. It's actually very boring to cook for oneself, and it's even more boring to eat alone, so most of my meals are delivered. I like the kitchen because I can eat whatever I want."
Vitamins
Peter: "Touring can be a very stressful situation, so I think it's a good thing to take vitamins. Especially on tour, because you don't get balanced meals. So I take a lot of minerals, vitamins, protein supplements, creatine (amino-acid found in the muscles of vertebrates - Medical Ed), Diet Fuel so that I don't become a fat bastard, St. John's Wort. I take about 100 tablets every day."
Weights
Peter: "A band should look as good as they sound - which is why Type O Negative sucks. But if a band has an erotic image, I think it's important to keep one's body in shape. I usually work out every other day. I used to go to Lou ('The Incredible Hulk') Ferrigno's gym, but it closed. These used to be in the gym, which I bought from them for a very good price."
Car
Peter: "(Above the window-rattling roar of the engine). The car is an '85 Grand Prix which I had modified. I have a PA system in the car so I can yell at people, plus a really loud horn. The paint design is based on a locomotive. I love my car. I feel like it's an extension of myself. It's black and yellow, and any creatures that evolve in nature that are black and yellow are notoriously poisonous."
Type O Negative's new album, 'The Least Worst Of Type O Negative', is released on October 30.
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Interview#2000/2: VOX (Josh Silver, 2000)
The guys in Type O Negative are not happy fellows. In fact, they're downright depressing. Spending time with keyboardist Josh Silver, it seemed as though his most content moments were when he was taking a long draw on his cigarette. Other than that, if death himself had walked through the door, we don't think Josh would have flinched. He might've offered Death a smoke and chatted with Death for a moment or two, but beyond that, he probably wouldn't have paid much attention.
As for Type O Negative front man Peter Steele, he would probably intimidate Death. Steele is an imposing figure: he big, he's buff, and he doesn't look happy. He could rip you apart and feed you to the cat, and he really wouldn't feel bad about it.
What probably stands out the most about the guys in Type O Negative is that, while they aren't running around with smiles on their faces, they really aren't angry - they don't walk about moaning and groaning, and they also don't act pissed off. They really are more depressed than anything, or so it seems; depressed with the state of the world, depressed that people are back-stabbing fuckers, even depressed that the chicken they've been served tastes like shit. But they aren't angry about it. The chicken won't be flung across the room - they expected it to taste this bad, so they'll just take it and deal with it, because that's how life is.
What we mean is that they have accepted the depression. They've accepted the chicken, the people and the state of the world, and they know it sucks.
Type O Negative live is another story. They definitely do not suck, but they aren't there to make you happy. They aren't here to deliver some sort of divine message and change your life - they want to rock you to the core and play their songs as hard as they possibly can. Steele, as much as he may not like it, is actually charismatic, and the music is awesome.
Just prior to their sold-out double bill with Coal Chamber at LA's Palladium, we had some time to get mired in the misery of Josh Silver and discuss pain, revenge and cocaine addiction. If you can find the energy to do so, please read on...
Josh Silver: Hmmm, excuse me [choking on cigarette smoke].
As for Type O Negative front man Peter Steele, he would probably intimidate Death. Steele is an imposing figure: he big, he's buff, and he doesn't look happy. He could rip you apart and feed you to the cat, and he really wouldn't feel bad about it.
What probably stands out the most about the guys in Type O Negative is that, while they aren't running around with smiles on their faces, they really aren't angry - they don't walk about moaning and groaning, and they also don't act pissed off. They really are more depressed than anything, or so it seems; depressed with the state of the world, depressed that people are back-stabbing fuckers, even depressed that the chicken they've been served tastes like shit. But they aren't angry about it. The chicken won't be flung across the room - they expected it to taste this bad, so they'll just take it and deal with it, because that's how life is.
What we mean is that they have accepted the depression. They've accepted the chicken, the people and the state of the world, and they know it sucks.
Type O Negative live is another story. They definitely do not suck, but they aren't there to make you happy. They aren't here to deliver some sort of divine message and change your life - they want to rock you to the core and play their songs as hard as they possibly can. Steele, as much as he may not like it, is actually charismatic, and the music is awesome.
Just prior to their sold-out double bill with Coal Chamber at LA's Palladium, we had some time to get mired in the misery of Josh Silver and discuss pain, revenge and cocaine addiction. If you can find the energy to do so, please read on...
Josh Silver: Hmmm, excuse me [choking on cigarette smoke].
VOX: Don't die on me man.
JS: That would be great, man, a snuff video.
VOX: [After Josh recovers] How did Type O Negative come about?
JS: It's somewhat of a boring story. You just stayed in the neighborhood, neighborhood kids got together. Brooklyn. Like anyone else that gets together. It's like 2 friends get two friends, the neighborhood thing, everyone's known each other for six or seven years. You all get together and do a neighborhood thing. Then all of sudden you wonder why you signed a record deal.
VOX: Sort of guys wanting to be in bands - the teenage dream every kid has?
JS: It's what every young guy wants. But it's cause they don't know what it is.
VOX: Why is that?
JS: I can't answer that
VOX: Why not?
JS: You don't have enough tape man, not even in that digital camera, to give you that answer. It's the unexpected every moment of your life. Which can be interesting.
VOX: What's the downside?
JS: Theft.
VOX: Theft Of...
JS: Everything. You name it, they'll steal it... music, bootlegs, pictures, money, your life, your soul, it will get stolen sooner or later.
VOX: Why do you do it?
JS: It's challenging. What's more challenging than going down the hallways of criminals, trying to fight them off...
VOX: Is that the goal now, "What can I keep?"
JS: The goal now is just personal revenge, I would say. I live to make others suffer.
VOX: Who are those people?
JS: We can't name names, cause if they drop then I will be the one blamed man! You want me to go on camera and give you my hit list? It wouldn't even fit on that lens.
VOX: How did the Type O name get chosen?
JS: It was originally "Repulsion". Some band came out of the woodwork and said, "We own this name." They said they were going to sue us if we don't change it. And we said, "You know what? It's not even that good of a name so fucking keep it." So we didn't do a record yet, so what's the difference? So Peter came up with Type O Negative. It's an interesting name cause it really doesn't tell you what type of music it is. So that's something we wanted - ambiguity. That's what we got.
VOX: What's LA like, compared to NY?
JS: I lived here for six month periods. For me I'd rather be in a place where people give you the finger right to your face instead of your back. I mean LA or New York, everyone gives you the finger, except in New York it's right in your face. I'd rather know who hates me.
VOX: Where is rock music heading... call it what you will, its rock.
JS: Ultimately it is... I don't really know. Anything can happen, I don't like what the year 2000 is doing to music I'll tell you that. If I am unfortunately forced to listen to radio, you barely can tell the bands apart. I mean half of them sound exactly the same. I don't think this is a great period for music.
VOX: Rock music or music in general?
JS: In general, in general I would say. People are becoming less demanding musically than visually. That leads to better visuals and worse music!
VOX: The words you guys write are pretty fucking heavy. Let's be honest.
JS: Always honest, brother.
VOX: Is it all personal? What are your influences?
JS: Yeah, 90% is personal. I mean you have your fantasy songs here and there, but most of the stuff is from mostly negative life experiences.
VOX: The title of the album is somewhat positive...
JS: You're the first guy who's ever said that. But I won't argue with it. It's an interesting angle...
VOX: I mean it works...
JS: No one said it would.
VOX: It could be taken to mean "We are almost down but not there just yet."
JS: We are way too selfish to talk about the whole world - let's simply talk of our world. Musicians don't think they can change the whole world and if they are then they're lying to themselves any ways.
VOX: Is this album kind of a counterbalance to October Rust.
JS: I don't see it as a counterbalance. I see four full-length albums that sounded different but yet retained the Type O identity. That ultimately is our goal - not to repeat ourselves while going into a new area.
VOX: "White Slavery" is really the album opener - what is that about?
JS: Cocaine addiction. It's that simple.
VOX: Is this from personal experience?
JS: I think everyone has been pretty screwed up to that degree -except Johnny, he's normal. We'll keep him off the hook. Let's just say we have all had bad run-ins that we deeply regret. But that doesn't necessary change a thing.
VOX: Is it true that coke is God's way of saying you make too much money?
JS: Nah, its Satan's way of saying stuff it. You stay up all night and think about your problems and for a good time you have to pay for all that. What a waste. Sorry, I have enough anxiety.
VOX: What're your tour plans the rest of the way?
JS: We were with Coal Chamber in Europe for awhile. It just kind of came about. What started out as a few week tour turned out to be a few months. I figure we are not going to fit anywhere, so why not this tour, you know.
VOX: The sound gets described as Black Sabbath-ish...
JS: Well, thank you.
VOX: Are they an influence?
JS: Absolutely. We've listened to Black Sabbath, the Beatles for a long time. Probably longer than you lived.
VOX: Doing the Beatles medley, was it an hommage or...
JS: Doing a Beatles cover is a touchy issue. How do you improve the Beatles? I think we did succeed in making it Type O Negative. You try to make it your own thing, and I think we succeeded. And I really didn't think I would be a supportive of it, but I really liked it. It is more of paying our respects I suppose.
VOX: Do you feel bands take themselves too seriously?
JS: I am not serious at all. I'm probably the biggest asshole I know... probably the biggest asshole you know.
.
VOX: What do you mean?
JS: There's a whole wave of bands out there, the media, I mean if you're going to tell me that music made kids commit suicide, that's bullshit man. I thought it was the shitty raising of children. Cause if you're sitting there with hand grenades on your shelf. Don't blame what's in the CD player. You have a lot of trouble at home obviously. Instead of passing the buck, they should say the buck stops here.
VOX: Do you have fun?
JS: I don't have fun. I simply get satisfaction and dissatisfaction. But fun? I don't have fun often.
VOX: What type of satisfaction?
JS: Success.
VOX: Musical success?
JS: Any type... if I set a goal, and succeed at that then I am satisfied. Then it's time to move on.
VOX: Are you happy?
JS: No.
VOX: Not just a modicum?
JS: Maybe a modicum.
VOX: What should we expect from a Type O Negative live show?
JS: Always like to say expect nothing and you'll never be disappointed. You'll be in the clear
VOX: We'll enjoy the show.
JS: Thank you brother.
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Interview#2003/1: POWER PLAY (Peter Steele, June 2003) by Vicky Anderson
Peter Steele is without a doubt one of metal's most perpetually intriguing characters, his talent for song writing often overshadowed by his outspoken views, unintentionally provocative lyrics, and the fact that decade-old Playgirl pics of him nekkid as a jaybird are still widely available (probably - it didn't seem right to check).
He's a complex fellow indeed - you never know whether his most thoughtful songs are about a lost relative, a lover, or a cat, and he can catch you out with his more humorous songs being more laden with meaning than they first appear. He's subdued when we speak, and not as wise-cracking as I'd expected from almost ten years as a fan, but if the behind-the-scenes record company malarkey was getting on his tits as much as mine, it's no surprise we both had our guard up. LIKM, Type O Negative's first album for three years, hits the shops this month with a refreshingly upbeat vibe compared to it's predecessor WCD, which is well known for bearing Peter's soul at a very low point in his life More tongue in cheek than ever and full of old-school hardcore bite, Sgt Pepper-style psychedelia, and lavish Goth, LIKM should do two things: a) remind the buying public that Type O Negative still exist, and b) show fans they can still deliver the goods. Changing the title from the original "The Dream is Dead" ("a bit too negative, even for me," Steele ponders), the album is reassuringly set in its ways, with superior production and an energy that wouldn't be out of place on Type O's earliest releases.
"World Coming Down", was very slow, and doomy, and self-indulgent," Peter admits of his last offering. "Listening to the album back I like it very much, but I have always been a fan of hardcore music and punk, and I just wanted to do something intentionally a bit more upbeat than what we had been doing previously. So yes, there was a concerted effort to put a bit more 'happy' into this album." As always, the new album is less a bunch of independent songs and more a collection of interwoven songs, a greater whole than the sum of it's parts, if you like. To Peter, it just wouldn't exist any other way. "It's hard for me to comment on my own music," he begins, unhelpfully. "I guess it's like every new mother thinks that her baby is beautiful - and these songs are my kids. Not that they're beautiful, but it is hard for me to see them from an outsiders point of view." Any song that people should be particularly listening out for? "I like them all. I hope that doesn't sound egotistical, but they are all equal to me. It's like trying to ask me 'what's Pete Steele's favourite body part?' - I dunno, because they all have to work together."
He's a complex fellow indeed - you never know whether his most thoughtful songs are about a lost relative, a lover, or a cat, and he can catch you out with his more humorous songs being more laden with meaning than they first appear. He's subdued when we speak, and not as wise-cracking as I'd expected from almost ten years as a fan, but if the behind-the-scenes record company malarkey was getting on his tits as much as mine, it's no surprise we both had our guard up. LIKM, Type O Negative's first album for three years, hits the shops this month with a refreshingly upbeat vibe compared to it's predecessor WCD, which is well known for bearing Peter's soul at a very low point in his life More tongue in cheek than ever and full of old-school hardcore bite, Sgt Pepper-style psychedelia, and lavish Goth, LIKM should do two things: a) remind the buying public that Type O Negative still exist, and b) show fans they can still deliver the goods. Changing the title from the original "The Dream is Dead" ("a bit too negative, even for me," Steele ponders), the album is reassuringly set in its ways, with superior production and an energy that wouldn't be out of place on Type O's earliest releases.
"World Coming Down", was very slow, and doomy, and self-indulgent," Peter admits of his last offering. "Listening to the album back I like it very much, but I have always been a fan of hardcore music and punk, and I just wanted to do something intentionally a bit more upbeat than what we had been doing previously. So yes, there was a concerted effort to put a bit more 'happy' into this album." As always, the new album is less a bunch of independent songs and more a collection of interwoven songs, a greater whole than the sum of it's parts, if you like. To Peter, it just wouldn't exist any other way. "It's hard for me to comment on my own music," he begins, unhelpfully. "I guess it's like every new mother thinks that her baby is beautiful - and these songs are my kids. Not that they're beautiful, but it is hard for me to see them from an outsiders point of view." Any song that people should be particularly listening out for? "I like them all. I hope that doesn't sound egotistical, but they are all equal to me. It's like trying to ask me 'what's Pete Steele's favourite body part?' - I dunno, because they all have to work together."
This time around Peter's sardonic wit is arguably his most caustic to date, and more than makes up for its failure to make an appearance on 'World Coming Down'. For starters, 'I Like Goils' will by default become another slice of Type O infamy on the scale of 'Wolf Moon' and 'Christian Woman', and is classic Steele; you don't know whether to laugh, whether it's wrong to laugh, or whether it's not even supposed to be funny. No, strike that last one. "To make it clear that you can't bone me/My tattooed ass reads 'exit only'". Care to explain yourself, Sir? "It was one of my tongue-in-cheek experiments, and I don't think there is any kind of controversy in anything I said within that song. It's about Gay guys trying to pick me up, and yup, I'm flattered whether the person is a man, or a woman, or neither or both - the compliment stands the same, but I simply prefer it if it comes from women."
Peter's persecution complex comes to the fore on many of the albums catchier songs. Although he is adamant that songs like 'I Like Goils' and instrumental "Loud And Queer" mean he doesn't have to justify himself to anybody, by their very nature they appear to be doing just that. In short, anyone looking to attack his politics will have (another) field day. Steele is at his most animated in response to such confrontations.
"You know what I say to PC people? Fuck you. Because who are you to tell me that my politics are or are not correct? All I can say, and I'm sorry to be vulgar, is suck my fucking dick. If you don't like what I have to say, don't listen to me. If you don't like how I look - don't look at me! Find somebody else to pick on."
The plot thickens. The chosen cover song for the new album is "Angry Inch", from transgender road movie Hedwig and the Angry Inch". A cover has become a mandatory track for every Type O Negative release as fans will know, and it serves as a great platform for the band to show their sense of musical diversity. But a song about a sex change gone wrong? "It was such a fantastic film and completely underrated, that I just really took it upon myself to try to expose it to the public more," said Pete. "It's so well-deserving of more attention." What did the rest of the band think? "I will bring down a handful of song ideas to the band, and we'll discuss it, and then during rehearsals we'll make a decision as to what sounds the best. Sometimes we'll rehearse a song for a long time and we'll get to the studio and it just doesn't sound right, so we'll go to something else - plan B."
Pete's philosophy regarding plan B seems to be 'just because you're paranoid don't mean they're not after you.' He won't reveal what other songs the band tried out for this album, should it give people the idea to steal them and do them first, although he does admit they could pop up again in the future. But what is with all the gay-straight interplay on this album? Who on earth could be bothered to doubt Peter's love of the female form, as heavily documented on the horny-as-hell October Rust" and possibly in every interview he's ever given? Who cares? Ask him, and you'll get this: "I feel like I have to attempt to defend my sexuality here, which I will not do. All I will say is just because a man prefers to be with women and not other men does not make him sexist, it makes him heterosexual."
When he refers to himself as a 'sexist pig', don't be so sure the 'If you can't eat it or fuck it, kill it' days of former band Carnivore have returned - we'd all like to put them behind us, Pete included most likely. "I don't like competition. That's why I hate men," he says by way of explanation - unsurprisingly, deadpan. But forgive me for focusing on easy targets. There is a lot more to this album. With "The Dream is Dead" being about his late father, "Nettie" about his mother and "How Could She?" about his five older sisters - as well as self-depreciating tracks like "Less Than Zero", the squishy, vulnerable side of Pete Steele is there for all to see. But how does this strange spectrum of subject matters all fit together?
"I'm extremely bi-polar, and quite a moody person sometimes. If I'm feeling. I guess more comfortable I'll write a song with a sense of humour, if I'm feeling blue then I'll write a song like "The Dream is Dead", and so on." Type O Negative albums are always such a glorious melee of humour and the darkest emotions, of ferocious hardcore and lavish, sweeping keyboard-led ballads (for want of a better word) - something Peter says that is never intentional in the song-writing process. "I never try and balance anything. It's kinda like taking a shit, excuse my language - whatever comes out comes out. You really can't help it, but either way you really have to deal with it. "Normally I start by either having a bunch of chords or a melody, or sometimes lyrics, but rarely. I'm not like a person who can sit down and write a song from start to finish. My songs take a long time to evolve. And even after they are recorded, they still continue to evolve."
Harnessing new technology has been the key to any progression in the sound of LIKM, the band utilising Pro-Tools to enhance the complexity of their multi-layered sound in the studio. Peter - straight-faced as ever - is the first to admit that the song writing process was "quite stagnant" on the new album. Holding it up to the fatalistic WCD, however, listeners will instantly hear a vitality and vibrancy that the previous album lacked as it creaked under its own weight.
Now is a time of change for the band, as their current contract with Roadrunner expires with this release. Peter takes a rather businesslike approach to the bands future regarding this - in fact, Type O Negative are a more intense and astute band in this respect than you'd imagine, not at all as casual as they first appear.
"Like anything else, I'd have to go for the highest bidder", he says. "But there's an old saying, 'Better an old demon than a new God'."
There was a time when Type O Negative typified Roadrunner, and had other diverse acts such as Obituary and Fear Factory to stop them being singled out. Today, amongst the Slipknots et al, they are, arguably, too diverse, not to mention old, to fit on such a youth-orientated label. "I don't listen to any new music whatsoever anymore, and it's not because I'm a snob, but because I'm just happy with my older music collection." Pete says. "I really can't name more than three or four other bands that are on Roadrunner - I don't even know how we 'fit' on this label to begin with."
Type O Negative was born, and continues to grow as an outfit most obviously influenced by Pete's great loves of Sabbath and The Beatles, along with almost everything from 80's pop to hardcore - everything, that is, except thrash and rap ("It sounds like the soundtrack to urban life, which I am definitely trying to get away from," he muses). WCD was released in 2000, and the long wait for a new album is just the nature of the beast when your label can stump up enough cash. "After touring, and having to come home and write an album - which doesn't happen overnight, it takes at least six months in the studio, and then six months on preparation, if you do the math everything seems to add up. It seems to take a little time because outside the band we all lead separate lives."
This much is true - Type O Negative is a surprisingly single-minded project, in that in the gaps between working together, the band members do not associate. "There's an old saying," Peter says again, "'Familiarity breeds contempt' and we are quite contemptuous of each other."
I enquire about a project I heard Josh was involved in and get a frosty response: "I think you should ask him - I cannot comment on what the other guys do with their lives, because after knowing each other for so long and being in this band for 14 years, we hardly ever talk to each other." Drummer Johnny Kelly has kept a somewhat higher profile than the other band members during Type O's hiatus by touring with Danzig. After so long in Type O Negative, was there ever any danger of his role in Evil Elvis' crew becoming a permanent one? "I was happy for him when Glenn asked him to come aboard for a while and if Glenn had asked him to stay and Johnny had accepted, I can't say I would have blamed him. You know, Johnny's the type of person that really likes to play live, and that's the difference between him and I - I like to write and he likes the live stuff."
Brooklyn born and bred, it was a conscious decision on Peter's part not to let the events of September 11 seep into his work in any way at all. Hugely hostile towards other artists who have felt it necessary to either pay tribute to or commemorate that day on record, Peter will not be using that as an excuse any time soon. I feel that at this point it's a very sensitive subject still. I didn't even want to mention it at all, because I didn't want people pointing at me and saying I exploited what happened here, this really horrible thing, just to make money off of it. It's a very personal thing to me. To write a song about it now, I think, would be very insensitive." Peter was at home on that day. "I was in bed, and the phone rang. Just like most of the people in the world found out, somebody said 'put the TV on, you're not gonna believe what I just saw,' he said. "I was quite devastated - living in Brooklyn, when I walked outside I could smell the smoke and there was masonry dust in the air, and I was also, you know, inhaling vaporised human beings. "It was a very unpleasant situation. And that day - nobody spoke to each other that day. Everywhere you went, it felt like everyone was just at one giant funeral. There was nothing that could be said because everybody was still in shock." Peter is passionate that nothing should be built on what is now known as Ground Zero, suggesting something along the lines of a cemetery or park to mark the area better than another office block. But he explains that obscene property prices in the Manhattan district make rebuilding too strong a magnet to resist - in short, too much money stands to be made by the few, for the concerns of the many to stand for very much at all. The Bush administration in a nutshell, really!
"If it happened anywhere else in the world, people would not even consider building there," Peter believes. "And to build there again and use the excuse that 'this has happened, and we must go on, if we don't build there then the terrorists have won' - I can't agree with that. I think that by going on with our daily lives, it proves to the terrorists they have not won." It is spooky that a year previously, the album cover for WCD featured the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline including the Twin Towers. "That was kinda strange. Every time I see the World Trade Centre, pictures of it, it freaks me out. I never thought it was prophetic or anything like that, it's just sheer coincidence."
September 11 is still obviously raw in his mind as a New Yorker, but he does not see how today's events and war in the Gulf are any vindication for it. "All I can say is that I don't understand why the United States feels like it has to be the world's police department. I think that this whole thing - the conflict between the people that live in the Middle East, we should keep out of it, and you know what - let them kill each other. They can do the world a favour. But don't kill my people, don't kill my friends or relatives." Type O Negative has always seemed like a band determined to fulfil their obligations. With their European tour on the horizon, although concerned at the thought of leaving home in the current political climate, at this point they still intend to perform the scheduled dates - including two in the UK.
The short, sharp Ramones-like "I Don't Wanna Be Me" is tipped to be the first single as they push for a better promotion from Roadrunner than their previous effort received. The band not only wants, but needs this album to get heard - there's a sense that it's almost as if their future depends on it. Josh Silver has already had a rant on their website regarding Internet leaks of the new songs, stressing the importance of first week sales in the States, and worrying how that could affect their bargaining power in the future. Nothing to worry about, I'd say - place your bets on how many lazy journos resort to calling LIKM a 'return to form' - and it took a bit more than a week for 'Bloody Kisses' to go platinum, didn't it?
Finally, to get off such maudlin subjects, I couldn't resist trying to get to the bottom of the rumours that since Evan Seinfeld got engaged to porn star Tera Patrick, an, ahem, more exotic change of career is on the cards for the Biohazard man. Could long-term pal Pete shed any light on this? I've heard a couple of things here and there but I don't give them any merit to gossip and I do not subscribe to it. All I can say is that unless it comes from Evan's mouth I will not comment on it, because I consider him to be a close friend - and I would assume the same respect coming from him." Ah well, I stutter in a gutless about-turn - who needs a career in porn? Biohazard are doing great these days after all this time, as in yourself. The Strokes? Who'll be listening to them in five years time? New York rules!
"Well, so far so good, thank God. I'm glad that Evan and Biohazard are doing so well, they're all friends and we like their music," Peter says. "Hopefully we can possibly do some touring together, somewhere in the not-too-distant future."
The following months will be nothing but serious hard work for Type O Negative, so I leave Peter to his last day at home before the circus of press tours and gigs begins and let him get on with cleaning his back yard. Beyond the next six months, anything could happen in the world of this unusual, iconic (ironic?) and seemingly indestructible band of brothers, but Peter heralds it simply and kind of wearily. "I have no plans for the future," he contemplates wryly, sounding as if he's wondering why on earth he signed up for any of this in the first place. "Ever."
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Interview#2003/2: (Josh Silver, 23rd June 2003) by Ane Cecilie Tovgaard
23rd June, 2003:
I got the opportunity to meet badass keyboardist, Josh Silver, from the controversial band Type O Negative, backstage at Vega in Copenhagen. They have recently released a long awaited new album, Life is Killing Me. The following collection of rude comments and ineffectually posed questions, sexual harassment and heated opinions is what I’m hoping will pass for an interview. -Ane Cecilie Tovgaard
Ane Cecilie: So it’s been 4 years since World Coming Down. What have you been up to?
Josh Silver: Well Type O Negative always usually takes about 3 years between the records so 4 isn’t really that much longer than normal.
AC: Yeah, I mean between October Rust and World Coming Down (WCD) it’s been 3 years.
JS: Yeah it’s always been 3 years, 3 years between Slow, Deep and Hard and Bloody Kisses, 3 year between Bloody and October.
AC: Do you think that’s necessary?
JS: Necessary no. Do I think it’s good? Probably. I think what happens to bands nowadays is that they’re forced to put out albums very quickly, and they don’t grow, they’re the same persons they were 8 months ago.
AC: Yeah I agree...
JS: I mean what’s going to be different? Nothing! It’s going to be the same bullshit probably not even as good. Because they’re forced to turn it out quick.
AC: I believe you’re right, if you look at bands like Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit– these rap’n roll/nu-metal bands, they seem much more commercialized than the old bands; in comparison, Type O Negative (TON) is a pretty old band right now.
JS: Yeah, really old....(grins)
AC: I mean you’ve been out there for a long time..
JS: Yeah I know it’s amazing that we’ve lasted this long. We have a good underground following, we’re lucky.
I got the opportunity to meet badass keyboardist, Josh Silver, from the controversial band Type O Negative, backstage at Vega in Copenhagen. They have recently released a long awaited new album, Life is Killing Me. The following collection of rude comments and ineffectually posed questions, sexual harassment and heated opinions is what I’m hoping will pass for an interview. -Ane Cecilie Tovgaard
Ane Cecilie: So it’s been 4 years since World Coming Down. What have you been up to?
Josh Silver: Well Type O Negative always usually takes about 3 years between the records so 4 isn’t really that much longer than normal.
AC: Yeah, I mean between October Rust and World Coming Down (WCD) it’s been 3 years.
JS: Yeah it’s always been 3 years, 3 years between Slow, Deep and Hard and Bloody Kisses, 3 year between Bloody and October.
AC: Do you think that’s necessary?
JS: Necessary no. Do I think it’s good? Probably. I think what happens to bands nowadays is that they’re forced to put out albums very quickly, and they don’t grow, they’re the same persons they were 8 months ago.
AC: Yeah I agree...
JS: I mean what’s going to be different? Nothing! It’s going to be the same bullshit probably not even as good. Because they’re forced to turn it out quick.
AC: I believe you’re right, if you look at bands like Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit– these rap’n roll/nu-metal bands, they seem much more commercialized than the old bands; in comparison, Type O Negative (TON) is a pretty old band right now.
JS: Yeah, really old....(grins)
AC: I mean you’ve been out there for a long time..
JS: Yeah I know it’s amazing that we’ve lasted this long. We have a good underground following, we’re lucky.
AC: I must confess that I’m pretty amazed...
JS: Me too...
AC: ...because I actually didn’t expect to hear from you again.
JS: Me neither...(laughs)
AC: And when you released The Least Worst Of I thought “Oh no, they’re doing a compilation...”
JS: Yeah that’s usually the end....
AC: But then again I thought about the title Least Worst Of, and was relieved because the title seemed too funny to be the end....
JS: No, it was actually the record company probably projecting it was the end and try(ing) to get the last little juice out of it. But that album sucked anyway.... (lowering his voice) so don’t buy it!
AC: No I didn’t buy it, because normally I don’t like compilations, they make me feel ripped off somehow!
JS: Especially you know compilations of radio-cuts, TON is not a radio-cut band. That’s terrible.
AC: So what is your point of view about Life is Killing Me (LIKM) ?
JS: I think it’s a little more eclectic than October Rust, WCD.
AC: Yes, it seems more lighthearted than WCD.
JS: Well, I mean God! Most nuclear wars are more lighthearted than WCD. WCD was a very serious album.
AC: Yes it was you could really hear that. I read an article where Peter said he wasn’t quite satisfied with WCD and that he felt he owed you and your fans a better record this time. Why?
JS: He said that about October Rust too, and he’ll probably say the same about LIKM.
AC: All right so that’s just how it works...
JS: Yeah don’t worry about it. I think WCD reminds him about a lot af bad times. I think it’s a great album. You know I don’t look at sales figures to determine if I feel an album is good. Most people do.
AC: Yeah, that’s business I guess, you have to make money!
JS: I’m not in business, I want to do the artistic (thing) and so I thought it was a great record, and I don’t care if it sold 500.000 or 2 million. It doesn’t matter to me.
AC: If you had to pick one or two favourite songs on each album, what would they be? Or is it too difficult, do you think?
JS: It’s hard, I mean it’s easier to pick songs I hate than songs I love. But I hate doing that.
AC: Yeah, I mean I find it difficult to pick one favourite song or album myself because each of your albums is special in it’s own way.
JS: Yeah I agree, and they’re always different. This one again is a little more eclectic like Bloody Kisses but it’s really not like BK. It’s nothing like BK, but it does have that variation and tempos slow fast slow.
AC: How do you work? I mean the process of making lyrics into music?
JS: I think we make the music and then the lyrics actually. I just produce with Peter, he will come down with some chords or you know whatever, we will just start playing and either it will turn into a song or it will turn into something we end throwing away. And sometimes it just happens right on a spot you know theres no set way of doing it. Sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn’t.
AC: There’s an extra disc to LIKM, is it just for overseas?
JS: Yeah, just for European release, I don’t know just for some reason. Europe needs more to buy records I guess.
AC: Yeah it’s possible – the labels here have a difficult time with all the downloading taking place. There’s a massive amount of downloading.
JS: Yeah in America too!
AC: Yeah I know, I actually read your statement about downloading. There was a leak before the release of LIKM and the result was a massive downloading. You compare it to shoplifting, I must say I agree with you!
JS: Thank you.
AC: What is the entire bands position, do they agree with you?
JS: I don’t know I mean I really didn’t ask them. (Starts to laugh!) To tell you the truth.
AC: All right, so you tend to work as individuals? You don’t sit down as a band and agree on some sort of official announcement?
JS: No, that was my opinion and I know it (the downloading) is going to hurt us. It has already hurt us in WCD. I mean you read what I wrote, when a band first puts out. a record...
AC: Yeah it’s so important.
JS: Right, that first week it sets the stage for... you know whats going to happen. So if you chart low you know the fans will say ” I love TON so I’m going to download it but I’m gonna go buy it...
AC: Yeah but it’s not gonna happen...
JS: it’s always 10-20 % that don’t run out and buy it.
AC: I know, I mean if you’re a real fan you would’nt even consider downloading music. I believe if you respect music you have to go and buy it.
JS: I think the rock audience is young and they don’t really think it’s damaging anything but it is.
AC: Yes of course.
JS: Thousands of people have already lost their jobs and the record company people still don’t give a shit but hey! Musicians are soon going to be out of work and it’s going to be very hard for bands to stay alive.
AC: Yeah, it’s sad.
AC: I think most of the tracks on LIKM they speak for themselves, but the track Angry Inch might need some explanation. It’s from a musical right?
JS: Yeah it is, it’s from a play (Hedwig and The Angry Inch!). It was originally a play and then it became a movie. It’s about a transsexual who has a bad operation and ends up with an inch instead of a vagina.
JS: Right, that first week it sets the stage for... you know whats going to happen. So if you chart low you know the fans will say ” I love TON so I’m going to download it but I’m gonna go buy it...
AC: Yeah but it’s not gonna happen...
JS: it’s always 10-20 % that don’t run out and buy it.
AC: I know, I mean if you’re a real fan you would’nt even consider downloading music. I believe if you respect music you have to go and buy it.
JS: I think the rock audience is young and they don’t really think it’s damaging anything but it is.
AC: Yes of course.
JS: Thousands of people have already lost their jobs and the record company people still don’t give a shit but hey! Musicians are soon going to be out of work and it’s going to be very hard for bands to stay alive.
AC: Yeah, it’s sad.
AC: I think most of the tracks on LIKM they speak for themselves, but the track Angry Inch might need some explanation. It’s from a musical right?
JS: Yeah it is, it’s from a play (Hedwig and The Angry Inch!). It was originally a play and then it became a movie. It’s about a transsexual who has a bad operation and ends up with an inch instead of a vagina.
AC: (laughing) A bit of shame you could say!
JS: Yeah, can’t win them all right! “You know the fans will say ‘I love Type O Negative It’s always 10-20 % that don’t run out to buy it. ”
AC: What about the track Drunk in Paris...is it out of experience?
JS: Well some of the titles came in later on so I don’t even know the number....sing it to me!
AC: ...ha ha ha..I can’t it’s an instrumental number! But nevermind I just thought it was funny because I got this picture in my head of 4 TON members being drunk in Paris.
JS : (Smiles) I wouldn’t know about that!
AC: Many people consider Bloody being your greatest success. Do you agree?
JS: Certainly financially yeah...
AC: But artistically?
JS: I think artistically it was....I don’t like to say the most successful but it was successful in a way that all the other records weren’t like that, and for the time it was very original, and it was one of the first of that genre. We almost created a genre, so in that aspect it was an unique album.
AC: You’re actually also one of the only bands who create “sound images”, for an example if you pick one of your albums could be October there are sound images like footsteps. I think it creates some kind of a TON universe. I guess that’s very special for you that you have some good sound effects.
JS: Thank you...you know we don’t like to think about what we’re doing we’re just kind of doing it. I don’t want to overanalyze why.
AC: Yeah, I guess you have to not analyzie too much sometimes, people seem to think ‘ TON ! what is it all about??!’ You have a lot of statements that a lot of people don’t really get, but I think it’s very obvious that youre being ironic, it’s just this humour, your dry sense of humour confusing people.....
JS: Yeah especially in Europe...because the language is very literal.
AC: I guess there’s a lot of comprehension issues here. I remember I once read an article from a German magazine where Peter was asked how big he thought TON was becoming and he said you know TON is more popular in Germany than Adolf Hitler...
JS: You know where he was stealing that from, it’s John Lennon’s statement about Jesus Christ...
AC: Yeah I know. I find it funny but the Germans didn’t get it, and then there were bomb threats and all sorts. It was hysterical...
JS: When was that..?
AC: It’s many years ago I think it must have been from one of your first European tours...
JS: Oh yeah 91’ ....(smirks)
AC: Yeah, and there was also some idiot throwing a jar of acid on a German venue...
JS: Oh I rermember that, sure I was there...
AC: But how does that feel ?
JS: I’m a Jew so ...you know... people calling us Nazis and stuff...I’ve been Jewish all my life but whatever you know we say aggravating things and Germany is an overcompensating country so you know I’m sorry they overcompensated.
AC: But it’s not something you think a lot about, you’re just being you, it’s not a problem that people get it wrong?
JS: You know I’m not prejudiced, I just don’t like people, I start off now liking people if they give me a reason to like them I will. So you know German, Danish, Dutch I don’t care who the fuck you are.
AC: Because you don’t know us!
JS: That’s right!
AC: So! Have you ever considered being your own label, wouldn't it be absolutely freedom or is it utopia?
JS: No, it would be enslavement. It would be so much work to make that a reality. You would just be a business person, And you couldn’t think about music anymore. You had to think about sales all the time, selling shipping, I don’t want to do that, That’s not why I’m in this - let some other poor schmuck do it! (Smiles)
AC: LIKM is probably the last album to fulfill your contract with Roadrunner, do you already have any future plans?
JS: Yes, we’ve had offers. Even an offer from Roadrunner actually but I really don’t know – we’ll have to wait and see what it soundscans in two days. That always has a big effect on business. So we’ll see.
AC: I heard something about a live record after this tour. Is it true?
JS: Better not be, cause I tell you I’m tired!
AC: Yeah, I can see that!
JS: No more...
AC: So do you feel the difference now becoming older and the three of you being daddies? It must a new era.
JS: Yes it’s hard.
AC: I looked at your tour dates, it’s pretty much every day for a whole month...it’s a long time being a way from home!
JS: Yeah it sucks. We’re coming back for 14 days and then we’re going to tour the States for two months. It’s harsh - but when you come out here you want to make the most of it right! So there’s kind of no point in sitting in a hotelroom somewhere doing nothing anyway - you might as well play.
AC: I guess I would also get really tired of touring because even though we try to ask you a lot of things, it must be boring to give the same answers.
JS: It’s boring most of the times....no, no not the interviews or anything! But just kind of the whole process of driving and sitting, it gets kind of monotonous. But I still like the playing. Interviews aren’t boring, they’re actually usually kind of entertaining during the day.
AC: Really?! (laughing)
JS: Yes I mean it’s better than sitting here looking at the mir ror right?....
AC: But I think it’s actually quite a nice room....
JS: It’s not bad. We’ve been here before so I know this place.
AC: Yes I know, I read a review from your concert here at Vega in 99’ and I don’t think you’ve had a better review than that...I mean the concert sounded amazing..
JS: Hopefully you can write one again tonight...
AC: I think so...or I hope so....(grins)
JS: (laughing!) I hope so too...
AC: Peter once said that if bands were running one way you were running the other. That you’re not trendsetters. I like that but don’t you think that sometimes being so individual effects the sales?
JS: Can’t worry about that. I think staying true to what you do also effects the sales in a positive way, so I think it’s probably why we've lasted these many years , because we are true to what we do. And we don’t really worry about things like...I mean can you imagine Peter rapping?
AC: I hope not... (in shock)
JS: That’ll be funny,. That’s almost so funny we actually should do it...
AC: Oh my god!
JS: Just as a joke...
AC: (laughing) I think I’ll start crying the day you begin rapping..
JS: You might laugh.. it might be really funny...
AC: Yeah, if it’s to be ironic but not if you were doing it seriously!
JS: No... we could never do that..
AC: I hope not.
JS: But I would like a new haircut though – I’m getting tired of the long hair. It’s too hard to take care of.
AC: Nobody stays true to the haircut anymore.
JS: The only new thing about Nu – metal is the haircut anyway.
AC: (laughing)
AC: So have you had absolute artistic fredom all the way?
JS: The only limits were selfimposed, we were never limited by the record company. There’s always been a couple of internal struggles but now we’re pretty free artisticly.
AC: Do you think it would be much more different if you were in another label regarding the artistic freedom?
JS: Yeah, I guess it would be different...you know...I mean Roadrunner now is considering themselves a major label with Nickelback and making multi million sales but they still lay off us because they know if they push us too hard we’re just gonna shut down, so they leave us alone. We’re like a pet, the angry dog in the corner – leave the dog alone leave the dog alone...
AC: If you ask me, that’s a pretty nice position in the rock world today.
JS: For us it is yeah, we’re never gonna sell 5 million records - We know that. We don’t care. We move on.
AC: Do you stlil feel alive and kicking?
JS: I’ve never felt alive and kicking. (laughs)
AC: So you’re always tired, huh?!
JS: You know, we’re not tired, we’re just not the usual...(makes the sign of the devil and headbangs sarcastically) We’ve always been very low key and very to the lower side. So I don’t feel any worse than I did 10 years ago. I’m 40 now and that’s pretty old for music, but I stopped smoking so I feel pretty good.
AC: How did you manage that?
JS: I had a kid. So I had to stop.
AC: Yes of course, that’s a big difference.
JS: I just don’t want to die. I have no right to die anymore. It’s not my life, it’s her life now.
AC: So how old is she?
JS: Two and a half....
AC: Nice. I guess it must be a whole new feeling being a dad.
JS: Yeah it is. It’s a more responsible feeling, but at the same time...you know... it’s not bad to be 40. It’s not bad. Stopped smoking, gained a little weight but hey! What are you gonna do, shit happens! I don’t worry about it.
AC: Would you agree if I said that current rock and heavy metal is much more underated compared to earlier?
JS: ....pause....You mean today it sucks? That’s what you’re saying?
AC: Yeah...in other words! (laughs)
JS: Yeah...it does.
AC: Like I told you before, I think todya it’s more the rap’n roll genre - bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park gettin all the major attention....
JS: In general music is more generic now, this is a bad time period for music. It sucks!
AC: Yeah, because when I think back....
JS: ...the 60’s, 70’s and even the 90’s had some interesting stuff...
AC: I think especially when Bloody came out, you know at that time....
JS: Yeah, you had Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden...you had some decent stuff.
AC: But also in the media. There was more focus on the rock and heavy metal genre, like Headbangers Ball It gave focus to the bands. Today I really think some more attention should be drawn to the good old rock and heavy metal bands. You could even say the ‘original bands’!
JS: Pioneers die hungry...be careful... We know!
AC: I guess you’re right!
JS: So how old are you?
AC: (laughing) I’m probably younger than you....
JS: ha ha ha...I would say half my age...God bless you!
AC: (laughs) No I’ve had a crazy life so far, so I think I’m gonna be OK.
JS: Well I could tell, because you have this like ‘fuck–you-change–the–world’ kind of attitude!
AC: I think youre supposed to have that attitude when you’re young, but I guess it changes by age...
JS: Yeah it does change. Although I still say ”Fuck You” I don’t expect the world to change.
AC: No no, me neither, but sometimes you just want to make a change that’s not gonna hurt anybody.
JS: Yeah that would be nice.
AC: So, what do you think has been the biggest misconception about TON?
JS: That we’re good!
AC: So you still believe that you’re just four dicks from Brooklyn?
JS: We are, musicians are...I think that’s something that has always bothered us, the way that musicians are put on piedestals. They’re just idiots like everybody else. The guy delievering the milk is the same idiot playing the guitar, probably the guy with the guitar is more of an idiot actually, he’s probably infantile and stupid and got more psychiological problems than you know. (pauses)
JS: Yeah, I think that’s the difference that we’re to degree a band that does’nt think we’re....you know...
AC: ...the answer..?
JS: Right! We’re just making music, and if you like it... great! And if you don’t like it, grea.t It doesn’t matter.
AC: I think that’s why you have a lot of loyal fans out there.
JS: Could be one part of the reason, yeah!
AC: Have you ever considered how you want to stop your career? Do you want to be remembered for anything as a band?
JS: Oh it’s gonna stop, every career stops. But it’s not important. I think although we have not sold millions and millions of records I think we’ve done something musically that other bands have not done, which has really left a mark in a certain genre. And I don’t think I could really ask for more, but accept maybe like 5 million dollars...
JS: ...the 60’s, 70’s and even the 90’s had some interesting stuff...
AC: I think especially when Bloody came out, you know at that time....
JS: Yeah, you had Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden...you had some decent stuff.
AC: But also in the media. There was more focus on the rock and heavy metal genre, like Headbangers Ball It gave focus to the bands. Today I really think some more attention should be drawn to the good old rock and heavy metal bands. You could even say the ‘original bands’!
JS: Pioneers die hungry...be careful... We know!
AC: I guess you’re right!
JS: So how old are you?
AC: (laughing) I’m probably younger than you....
JS: ha ha ha...I would say half my age...God bless you!
AC: (laughs) No I’ve had a crazy life so far, so I think I’m gonna be OK.
JS: Well I could tell, because you have this like ‘fuck–you-change–the–world’ kind of attitude!
AC: I think youre supposed to have that attitude when you’re young, but I guess it changes by age...
JS: Yeah it does change. Although I still say ”Fuck You” I don’t expect the world to change.
AC: No no, me neither, but sometimes you just want to make a change that’s not gonna hurt anybody.
JS: Yeah that would be nice.
AC: So, what do you think has been the biggest misconception about TON?
JS: That we’re good!
AC: So you still believe that you’re just four dicks from Brooklyn?
JS: We are, musicians are...I think that’s something that has always bothered us, the way that musicians are put on piedestals. They’re just idiots like everybody else. The guy delievering the milk is the same idiot playing the guitar, probably the guy with the guitar is more of an idiot actually, he’s probably infantile and stupid and got more psychiological problems than you know. (pauses)
JS: Yeah, I think that’s the difference that we’re to degree a band that does’nt think we’re....you know...
AC: ...the answer..?
JS: Right! We’re just making music, and if you like it... great! And if you don’t like it, grea.t It doesn’t matter.
AC: I think that’s why you have a lot of loyal fans out there.
JS: Could be one part of the reason, yeah!
AC: Have you ever considered how you want to stop your career? Do you want to be remembered for anything as a band?
JS: Oh it’s gonna stop, every career stops. But it’s not important. I think although we have not sold millions and millions of records I think we’ve done something musically that other bands have not done, which has really left a mark in a certain genre. And I don’t think I could really ask for more, but accept maybe like 5 million dollars...
AC: Would be nice....
JS: Yeah but it’s not gonna happen, so I guess I’ll be the guy delievering your milk if you moved to Brooklyn.
AC: You’re all born in Brooklyn. Did you know each other when you were kids?
JS: I’ve known Peter from I was 10 years old.
AC: Did you go to school with each other?
JS: No. Peter went to Catholic school. I’m Jewish I couldn’t go there. They wouldn’t let me in, they would put horns on me and send me away....(starts laughing).
AC: That’s really strange to think about, because here it’s really rare that you bring your children up religously. I think Denmark is really a pagan place. I think we’re still old vikings at heart!
JS: (laughs)
AC: I don’t think the church thing will ever work for us...
JS: Good, you’re lucky.
AC: Yeah but at the same time people seem to seek themselves more because they don’t feel...you know...
JS: They wanna belong ....
AC: ...yeah, to somewhere... and you don’t feel that really.
JS: That’s why you have a feeling of nationalism here.
AC: Yeah I guess you’re right.
Janus ( TON’sDanish label manager) enters the room...
JS: Is he kicking you out?
AC: Oh no... he wouldn’t dare to do that!
JS: hahaha...
Kenny Hickey (Guitarist) enters the room: Can I use the bathroom...?
AC: Yes sure...(laughs)
JS: You might wanna put the mic in there... it could be interesting!
AC: ...yeah I could leave the mic outside here. (Whispers) Just be quiet...
JS: (laughs)
AC: Do you have any plans about touring with other bands?
JS: We take the future one step at a time...so we are doing a tour in the States, I wouldn’t wanna say who were touring with since it’s not confirmed officially to my knowledge.
Johnny Kelly (drummer) whispers: confirmed....
JS: Are you gonna join Kenny in the bathroom? I know you guys were close but I didn’t think it would get that far...
JS: Lacuna Coil is opening for us....didn’t know if it was confirmed. Sorry about that!
AC: That’s ok. Well I think I’ve got it all now, so I’m just gonna look forward for tonight. I hope you do OK on stage...
JS: I hope so too. I hope we don’t disappoint you.
AC: I don’t think so!
JS: If you drink enough...
AC: I think I’m gonna have a scotch
JS: Just one?
AC: Maybe a Cuban cigar...
JS: (looks astonished) A Cuban cigar?!
AC: Yeah! Like this one (picks one up and shows it to Josh) I like these. It’s a Cohiba.
JS: It’s illegal in America...
AC: Well I didn’t know that!
JS: (laughs)
AC: Do you have any plans about touring with other bands?
JS: We take the future one step at a time...so we are doing a tour in the States, I wouldn’t wanna say who were touring with since it’s not confirmed officially to my knowledge.
Johnny Kelly (drummer) whispers: confirmed....
JS: Are you gonna join Kenny in the bathroom? I know you guys were close but I didn’t think it would get that far...
JS: Lacuna Coil is opening for us....didn’t know if it was confirmed. Sorry about that!
AC: That’s ok. Well I think I’ve got it all now, so I’m just gonna look forward for tonight. I hope you do OK on stage...
JS: I hope so too. I hope we don’t disappoint you.
AC: I don’t think so!
JS: If you drink enough...
AC: I think I’m gonna have a scotch
JS: Just one?
AC: Maybe a Cuban cigar...
JS: (looks astonished) A Cuban cigar?!
AC: Yeah! Like this one (picks one up and shows it to Josh) I like these. It’s a Cohiba.
JS: It’s illegal in America...
AC: Well I didn’t know that!
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In Memory of FrenchDeath - European TON Pumper Squad Division (1958-2016).
