Glenn Danzig

GLENN DANZIG
Interview by D. Necro

Date: April 2001.


David Necro: In the 25+ years as a singer, songwriter, performer, actor, artist; what have you learned from the experience (of your endeavors) and the world of entertainment in general?

Glenn Danzig: Well, I've had a lot of experiences; a lot of good ones and a lot of bad ones. So, I don't know what to say; you meet a lot of good people, you meet a lot of bad people.

D. Necro: So, what have you learned as an artist?

G. Danzig: You meet a lot of good people, you meet a lot of bad people. (laughs)

D. Necro: (laughs) In following your career, I am under the impression that you are possibly misunderstood as an artist as well as a person. Is that true?

G. Danzig: I dunno, I understand myself pretty well. Most people I meet really understand what I'm doing and what I'm about. Usually the people that misunderstand me are people that going into it, don't wanna understand anyway. You know what I mean?

D. Necro: Yes I do...

G. Danzig: They have something against me for whatever reason, and whatever that reason is, that's their problem, not my problem, you know? A lot of people for whatever reason don't like to be told to go "fuck off." (laughs)

D. Necro: So, they just don't want to, ah...

G. Danzig: They maybe percieve that they're gonna be told to "fuck off" if they ask a stupid question or something, and they don't wanna think of themselves as maybe asking a stupid question or something fucked up. Or whatever, whatever a person's problem is. Usually when people meet me, I take people on an individual basis. If someone's cool to me, I'm usually cool to them. If somone's an asshole to me, I usually either ignore them or treat them like the asshole that they are. So, if people have a problem with that, they can go fuckin' kill themselves, I don't give 2 fucks.

D. Necro: That pretty much sums it up...

G. Danzig: Yep, pretty much.

D. Necro: What is your essence? What makes Glenn Danzig who he is?

G. Danzig: Uh, I dunno (laughs), I'm Glenn Danzig. I don't have a problem with myself or the way I am. A lot of people may have, but then that's their problem, that's not my problem.

D. Necro: What is your motivation for what you do? In addition, has it changed over the years, or has it remained the same?

G. Danzig: What is my motivation...Usually my motivation starts with when I'm writing a song, to write a great song. To then convey something on lots of different levels; musically, lyrically, vocally, lots of different ways. But my motivation after that usually is; hate, anger, frustration, love; every kind of emotion you can imagine. For me, a lot of times anger and frustration really help me a lot because it never ceases to amaze me how fucked-up the music industry is, and how you can work so hard to try and change stuff like radio. It's a circle that keeps going around and around, you know? You're always gonna have like these pop crap bands, and you're gonna always have these bands that really are into music for music. Who don't get any kind of airplay or respect from the music media at all. The established music media, excuse me. So, you'll see just sell-out magazines like 'Rolling Stone' only doing stuff on trendy poppy shit becuase they wanna just sell magazines...

D. Necro: and advertising revenue...

G. Danzig: Of course. They'll never write and expose on somebody like Rick Rubin or other people who've ripped off bands for a million years becuase, there goes their advertising! (laughs) You don't see an honest expose in 'Rolling Stone' about the music industry, ever.

Glenn Danzig D. Necro: Hmm...No, no you don't.

G. Danzig: No, you never will. You might have back when they first came out like, in the 60's, or something. But, that's so far removed from what it is now. You'll never see it (an expose), never.

D. Necro: In you view, how have you contributed to the cultural landscape in general?

G. Danzig: I wouldn't even suggest how I have. I let other people do that. I wouldn't say "oh, I've done this," you know? Pretty much what I have done in my career is there for everybody to look at. So, I'll let everybody else decide what I've done and whether I've influenced lots of artists and you know, music in general, whatever. You know what I mean?

D. Necro: So, you just observe it just like an aficionado would. You're observing what is going on, and you're not going to put forth (an opinion) that "yeah, I did this and that."

G. Danzig: I mean, I could, but it would be stupid.

D. Necro: I agree.

G. Danzig: Yeah. Look man, I write songs and I definitely do it from a different perspective than a lot of other people. I don't do it so that I can line my walls with gold and platinum records and buy mansions and all this other crap; I don't do it for that reason. If some of that stuff happens, fantastic. But, the reason I do it is because it's the (same) reason I started a punk band back in the day. Because I hated where music was and where it was going, along with a lot of other people. Also, my general frustration a lot of time is with the music industry, with life in general, and just with stupid people. What can I say?

D. Necro: Now it is well known that you have helped the careers of many contemporary artists. Do you see yourself as a musical "godfather" a la Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop? If so, why? If not, why not?

G. Danzig: Again, if other people see me that way then that's cool. As far as helping bands, you do that becuase you wanna. Like with bands such as Korn or White Zombie or whoever, it basically comes down to me saying "I think people should see what these artists are doing or hear what they're doing."

D. Necro: Well, yeah, but that (taking them out on tour) was a big boost for their careers.

G. Danzig: I mean, dude, you might have an idea that these bands are gonna go on to do something, but you never really know.

D. Necro: Hmm...that's true...

G. Danzig: I think that they're good bands, and then I think "yeah, these bands could definitely have a career and they're serious about what they're doing." You know what I mean? That's usually what happens, but you know...

D. Necro: Do they stand the test of time?

G. Danzig: Yeah, that's the kind of bands I like to take out (on tour).

D. Necro: Do you feel that your aficionados truly understand your music and music in general?

G. Danzig: Well, that's a generalization becuase they're all different. You know, some people get it, and some people don't. They're all supposedly music critics. But, music critics in general, are just the same as people who buy records who aren't music critics.

D. Necro: I agree...

G. Danzig: Everyone's a music critic and everyone has an opinion. some of my biggest selling records were slammed by the critics. So, if you go by critics, then it's not a success. But, if you go by what the people like, then usually...you know what I mean? First, you go by me. I go by what I like to do and then if the record's a success once I'm done recording it, then it's a success whether it sells or it doesn't, it doesn't matter. Then, if it is a critical success, that doesn't always necessarily mean that you're gonna sell a lot of records. It's the people (that decide) See, because record critics don't buy records, they get 'em for free.

D. Necro: (laughs) Well...

G. Danzig: It's true.

D. Necro: (begrudgingly) Yeah, and I'm guilty of that as well...(sighs)

Glenn Danzig G. Danzig: Yeah, so I would appreciate someone who bought it and said to me "wow, I really like this record" more than somebody who really didn't pay for it. You know what I mean?

D. Necro: Yeah, that makes sense, that's all in common sense, I agree. Here's an interesting question, when you brought back Samhain on the 'Satan's Child' tour, what were you feeling in particular? Did it bring back memories, that sort of thing?

G. Danzig: When we started rehearsing it was kind of, you know, a lotta fun. Then we get out on the road, it was like really (laughs) fun. The box set was coming out, it was something we've been trying to put out for a long time, and it had gone through a lot of different places where it was supposed to come out and didn't. So it was cool that it finally did come out and so we planned doing something like that (the tour) It was a lotta fun, and we just did it for that one thing and that was it. We didn't milk it, you didn't have to really pay extra, if you were going to the Danzig show you got to see it (Samhain).

D. Necro: You project strong and intense images as well as other artistic phenomenon in your work. Are these images that you have created, and have yet to create, come to you naturally and immediately; in other words, spontaneously?

G. Danzig: The songs are just about what inspired me to write songs. Especially after this long doing it, I constantly have to find reasons for writing a song that's gonna be exciting to me. As far as the record covers and stuff, yeah that's part of the stuff that I really like doing, is just doing crazy record covers. Usually the more crazy, the better...(snickers)

D. Necro: Yeah, sure, why not?

G. Danzig: Well, I've always done it, and I'm not gonna stop, you know? That's one of the things I've always demanded was record cover control.

D. Necro: Is that something (album cover artwork) you give more thought to and plan out and such?

G. Danzig: Nah, it all starts just coming together. A lotta times, the way the songs come out on the record will dictate what I wanna do with the record cover, you know?

D. Necro: So, it could come to you immediately (snaps fingers)?

G. Danzig: Yeah, there's no set pattern for what I do. Basically, like when I'm writing a song; sometimes I have lyrics first, sometimes I have the song first, sometimes it's just a drum beat. Same thing with the record covers. Sometimes I have a record cover already planned, and photos that I wanna do. It's different, it never is the same...


~THE END~

DAVID NECRO
(dnecro666@hotmail.com)

Photos by Devilman138