Metalocalypse
Vice: Thanks for doing this interview in person. It gives me a strong incentive to not be a smartass.
Glenn Danzig:
I’ve always been curious how a band like Danzig works. You’re the figurehead, the front man, the namesake, and the songwriter…
What changed that?
It seems like that would deny you any lasting chemistry with your bandmates. There are basically term limits on your musicians.
I guess I’m curious about this because it kind of puts you in the position of being the employer. How do practices work if you’re like the boss of the band?
I’m not saying you are the boss, like you have laminated posters with Employee Rights and Grievance Number Hotlines on the wall of the practice space, but…
makes whining noise So how do practices work when you’re the primary songwriter?
only Do you show up with prewritten parts? Do you say, “Hey, Tommy, here’s the new part”?
Yeah, but I’m never going to get to meet Bowie. You’re it.
I’ve never spoken with anybody who’s reached this point in their career.
So if at any point one of your musicians says, “I’ve got a way this could sound better,” does that constitute employee insubordination?
For most musicians, that’s an alien concept. Every band I’ve ever known has operated on a level far below this, hashing out competing musical visions in cramped practice spaces. What’s your process for writing songs?
Is it all up here [points to head] or do you keep stuff on a tape recorder?
I would think that after the first time that happened you’d be banging your head on the dashboard.
I’ve read that you’re going to slow down on touring some because you don’t want to deal with the downtime that comes on the road.
But I guess you then got tired of not touring…
That implies that you had decades of not doing that, of being on tour and dealing with the constraints of Tour Time. I’ve known so many touring musicians who surrendered to the downtime, who would let their natural rhythms go to hell and sleep until three, not exercise, not read, not do any of the things they’d do at home…
Are you able to read on tour? Meaning, can you concentrate even with other people’s noise?
But you must have had years before that where you were staying at people’s houses, in the early days. In the 80s, you weren’t staying at hotels and you didn’t have a bus.
Everybody?
Dude, I’ve tried that. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle.
Feasible, but not posh.
I’ve always assumed “Mother ’93” was kind of the dividing line when you started to get a lot more public recognition. Is that correct?
holds up middle finger to empty space Am I right in thinking that when you go out now, to the supermarket or wherever, you get a certain amount of gawkers?
Here’s a question I’ve always had. Have you heard of Jerusalem syndrome? That’s the thing where normal tourists go to the Holy Land, freak out, and convince themselves they’re John the Baptist or Jesus.
It’s a recognized psychological phenomenon.
I guess it’s not that well known. I didn’t make it up, though.
Well, I’m wondering if there is a Danzig syndrome? Do you have a thing where your persona or physical presence inspires people to flip out?
What I mean is, have people freaked out on you? Has anyone come up to you in public and acted unhinged at the sight of you in person?
I’m talking about 1 percent of 1 percent. The person who comes up to you and says, “I sacrificed my dog in the name of Kramdar. Here’s the body, Lord Danzig.”
I saw John Carpenter speak in 2002. He was 54 then, but he looked ten years older, and he talked for a while about his sagging energy levels. You’re the same age now, right?
Well, you look my age and it’s kind of weirding me out. Do you ever have problems with your energy levels?
What’s your secret?
I’m 40. I don’t do any of those things. I eat salad for lunch. And I wake up almost every day feeling like a wet bag of sand.
It’s low-fat creamy crap!
So you have nothing to share, nothing to impart to those of us who are rapidly turning into jiggly piles of goo? It seems like it happens quick.
Not every day.
Those are all good things to know, but they’re no surprise. You don’t have any one thing that…
How come?
Across the board? All of Western medicine?
I wouldn’t be dead in a week!
laughs What would you bet me? Let’s make this interesting.
I think what I was looking for here was something that would help me to not look like Elmer Fudd every time I look in the mirror. But you’re not going to give it up, and I respect that.
laughs I said no in italics. There’s some wiggle room there. I go to the gym once or twice a week. [laughs unconvincingly] Here’s something else: This morning there were reports—false ones—that the guy from the Twilight movies was set to play Kurt Cobain in a biopic. At some point, someone’s going to play you in a movie, whether it’s about stuff that you’ve done, or at least peripheral to stuff you’ve done.
laughs It’s inevitable. Who plays you?
Here’s where the bet comes in. There’s gotta be some money in this for me.
laughs That’s kind of what I’m getting at here.
Danzig’s new album, , will be released June 22nd on Evilive/The End Records.
Glenn Danzig:
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What changed that?
It seems like that would deny you any lasting chemistry with your bandmates. There are basically term limits on your musicians.
I guess I’m curious about this because it kind of puts you in the position of being the employer. How do practices work if you’re like the boss of the band?
I’m not saying you are the boss, like you have laminated posters with Employee Rights and Grievance Number Hotlines on the wall of the practice space, but…
makes whining noise So how do practices work when you’re the primary songwriter?
only Do you show up with prewritten parts? Do you say, “Hey, Tommy, here’s the new part”?
Yeah, but I’m never going to get to meet Bowie. You’re it.
I’ve never spoken with anybody who’s reached this point in their career.
So if at any point one of your musicians says, “I’ve got a way this could sound better,” does that constitute employee insubordination?
For most musicians, that’s an alien concept. Every band I’ve ever known has operated on a level far below this, hashing out competing musical visions in cramped practice spaces. What’s your process for writing songs?
Is it all up here [points to head] or do you keep stuff on a tape recorder?
I would think that after the first time that happened you’d be banging your head on the dashboard.
I’ve read that you’re going to slow down on touring some because you don’t want to deal with the downtime that comes on the road.
But I guess you then got tired of not touring…
That implies that you had decades of not doing that, of being on tour and dealing with the constraints of Tour Time. I’ve known so many touring musicians who surrendered to the downtime, who would let their natural rhythms go to hell and sleep until three, not exercise, not read, not do any of the things they’d do at home…
Are you able to read on tour? Meaning, can you concentrate even with other people’s noise?
But you must have had years before that where you were staying at people’s houses, in the early days. In the 80s, you weren’t staying at hotels and you didn’t have a bus.
Everybody?
Dude, I’ve tried that. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle.
Feasible, but not posh.
I’ve always assumed “Mother ’93” was kind of the dividing line when you started to get a lot more public recognition. Is that correct?
holds up middle finger to empty space Am I right in thinking that when you go out now, to the supermarket or wherever, you get a certain amount of gawkers?
Here’s a question I’ve always had. Have you heard of Jerusalem syndrome? That’s the thing where normal tourists go to the Holy Land, freak out, and convince themselves they’re John the Baptist or Jesus.
It’s a recognized psychological phenomenon.
I guess it’s not that well known. I didn’t make it up, though.
Well, I’m wondering if there is a Danzig syndrome? Do you have a thing where your persona or physical presence inspires people to flip out?
What I mean is, have people freaked out on you? Has anyone come up to you in public and acted unhinged at the sight of you in person?
I’m talking about 1 percent of 1 percent. The person who comes up to you and says, “I sacrificed my dog in the name of Kramdar. Here’s the body, Lord Danzig.”
I saw John Carpenter speak in 2002. He was 54 then, but he looked ten years older, and he talked for a while about his sagging energy levels. You’re the same age now, right?
Well, you look my age and it’s kind of weirding me out. Do you ever have problems with your energy levels?
What’s your secret?
I’m 40. I don’t do any of those things. I eat salad for lunch. And I wake up almost every day feeling like a wet bag of sand.
It’s low-fat creamy crap!
So you have nothing to share, nothing to impart to those of us who are rapidly turning into jiggly piles of goo? It seems like it happens quick.
Not every day.
Those are all good things to know, but they’re no surprise. You don’t have any one thing that…
How come?
Across the board? All of Western medicine?
I wouldn’t be dead in a week!
laughs What would you bet me? Let’s make this interesting.
I think what I was looking for here was something that would help me to not look like Elmer Fudd every time I look in the mirror. But you’re not going to give it up, and I respect that.
laughs I said no in italics. There’s some wiggle room there. I go to the gym once or twice a week. [laughs unconvincingly] Here’s something else: This morning there were reports—false ones—that the guy from the Twilight movies was set to play Kurt Cobain in a biopic. At some point, someone’s going to play you in a movie, whether it’s about stuff that you’ve done, or at least peripheral to stuff you’ve done.
laughs It’s inevitable. Who plays you?
Here’s where the bet comes in. There’s gotta be some money in this for me.
laughs That’s kind of what I’m getting at here.
Danzig’s new album, , will be released June 22nd on Evilive/The End Records.
