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XM:So first off. Is there a question that you get asked over and over that is annoying to have to answer?
Guy: Almost all of them. Ha! No, about just the past shit that we've answered about a hundred thousand times. Like in almost every interview about member changes and all that stuff. We've already answered them so many times that if people don't know by now by seeing it where ever, they should know already.
XM: Second, Suffocation have been on the road now with Goatwhore and DevilDriver for just over two weeks. How has the tour been treating you guys so far?
Guy: Shows have been good. Crowd response has been good. Everybody on the tour is cool. The other bands, everything is good. That's it, a lot of cold weather so far.
XM: Memorable highlights?
Guy: I don't know. *Laughs* Yeah, some of the pits have been pretty sick. Crowd slammin', stuff like that. Nothing that's really standing out above and beyond, but a few drunken nights here and there. After the shows, some fun times. But crowd response has been good. I think we're getting some new fans, some DevilDriver fans. They seem to be showing good response to the stuff. It's all good.
XM: Have you been hanging out with any of the other bands on this tour?
Guy: Well we share a bus with Goatwhore, we bond with them pretty good. They're all cool guys. DevilDriver, we've been hanging out with them pretty much every other night. Thy Will Be Done, they're in a van... But they're pretty much hanging out too. Everybody's all hanging out. Except for when we have long drives, Thy Will Be Done have to leave early because they're driving themselves. Pretty much we're all traveling together, for the most part. And if we have a day off we all usually are at the same spot hangin' out.
Eating together and everything, it's good.
XM: What else do you like to do to pass the time on the road besides chilling?
Guy: Sleep. A lot of sleeping. Cause' you know its like hurry up and get to the show, set up, and wait around until you can play. Usually for me, like an hour before I have to play, Goatwhore is onstage. So I'm hanging out backstage while they're playing, just warming up until I play. Then when I'm done playing, I'm done. That's when I'll crack open a nice cold beer or somethin', relax. Finally get to have a drink, cause we don't drink before we play usually. Other than that, we get back on the bus at night, and its just hanging out, getting to the next spot. Everybody's up for a little while, hanging out, watching TV, drinkin' or something. It's just that or sleeping. There really is nowhere to go, most of these places are ice cold outside. So it's like people don't really wanna walk around anywhere.Â
XM: You guys just recorded two video's for Fuel TV's Daily Habbit series. How did that deal come about?
Guy: I think Nuclear Blast set it up. We were on the bus for about 5 days, before we got out to Cali. With no shows or nothing, so its like we started off this tour playing at Fuel TV. We didn't even really get warmed up for it or anything. But it was a pretty cool experience, hanging out in the studio. Going through the songs a couple times for the show, and then like a week and a half, two weeks later, we were able to actually watch it on the bus when it aired. That was pretty cool.
XM: How did the shooting of the video's go for you?
Guy: The shooting was good. We only did each song like twice. We did it once, just as a rehearsal. So they could figure out what kind of angles they wanted and have us feel what we were going to be doing. Then that was it, we just did it, second time. It took more time to set this stuff up and wait around to do it then to actually do it.
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XM: What's your personal favorite track off Blood Oath?
Guy: Provoking the Disturbed is a pretty sick track, we haven't been playing it live, yet. But, I like that track and...I'm drawing a blank right now... Mental Hemorrhage is good, and... Another one, I can't think of the name of it. There's another one we haven't been playing live yet either, but we will be playing it soon. That's a really good song, too. I like pretty much every song on there, though. We're all pretty happy with the Blood Oath album, overall. Compared to the last two before it, we took more time in the studio with it.
We took more time with recording it, perfecting the sounds on it and everything. So, we're a lot more happy with it.
XM: Looking back on the band, what have been some of the best moments and has there ever been a time where you thought you'd have to pack it all in?
Guy: There's no time really where we thought we were going to have to pack it in, really. It's just you know, things happen and get sorted out. But nothing super major or nothing like that. There's been times when we get pissed at the industry and everything. With Ozzfest, or Mayhem Fest. All these different kinds of festivals that happen. They bring in all these bands, these new bands. They're up and coming, playing their first album at these festivals. And they're going out with Slayer or Megadeth. We've been around for twenty years and still haven't gotten asked to do any of that shit. So it's really annoying, and it pisses us off to the point of wanting to say "Fuck this shit!". You know, they call us "The grandfathers of Death Metal" or "Death Metal legends" they say we inspire all these fuckin' bands that are playing Death Metal. And some of the bands that ain't even playing Death Metal, wearing Suffocation t-shirts or stuff like that. We get respect that way, but the industry is not letting us get on anything worth while to try and gather up some more fans. To help us survive. This is what we do, this is our jobs. And I'd probably make more money working at home nine to five.
XM: What do you do working nine to five?
Guy: I don't, that's what I'm saying. *Laughs* This is our jobs, this is what we do. So, we're trying to get by and survive on it. If we had to work nine to five jobs at home, though. You probably wouldn't see us at all. We wouldn't have time to tour.
XM: You'd be working nine to five!
Guy: *Laughs* Yeah. So.
XM:And what achievement are you most proud of as a member of Suffocation?
Guy: Blood Oath. I like that album a lot. And being that we got to South America since I have been in the band. Where they've never been before. We also got to Wacken Festival, in Europe. Big German festival with like forty thousand people. And then the first live album Suffocation ever did, I am on. There's a bunch of things that have happened in the past few years that have been a pretty good achievement. And now its going to be the first Suffocation DVD coming out. Which, it shouldn't even be called a DVD it should be called a movie. Cause', its really like a documentary from beginning to end with Suffocation. Everything from the early days and how it first started, old video footage. All the way up to now, currently we're still filming some stuff here and there. We have little cameras and we film stuff. At the end of this tour we'll send that to this guy John Bigford, who will put it all together out in Vegas. Its close to being done, it'll come out some time this year.
XM:If you could have been involved in the writing, recording, or production of any album ever wich would it be and why?
Guy: Hmm... If I could have been... That would be probably like two albums, that I can think of right off the bat. Just that I could have been a part of or had something to do with... Actually, there's like four albums. These two from Slayer, which is Hell Awaits and Reign in Blood. Those are amazing albums. And the other two would be the first two Morbid Angel albums. Altars of Madness and Blessed are the Sick. Love those two albums.
XM: If you had to describe Suffocation's music in 3 words they would be...
Guy: Um... Three words... I don't know. There you go. *Laughs* No, but I really don't know. Describe us in three words? I can do it in two words. Fuckin' Brutal. I feel like we're tight, and we put on great, tight shows. We all know each other so well. But I don't really know how to describe ourselves. It's never as good as we always want it to be, anyway.
XM: What do you think is the best way to be suffocated? Or, your favorite way, I guess.
Guy: Well, I don't really want to be suffocated
XM: No, no! *Laughs*
Guy: I guess the worst way would be drowning. That would suck. Its like suffocating, no air. You're just down there holding your breath for as long as you can and you're just stuck. Then the last thing you gotta do is breath in a whole bunch of water, salt water. Whatever it may be.
XM: Whats the weirdest thing someone's asked you to sign?
Guy: I've signed a banana peel. *Laughs* That's pretty weird. I've signed bottles of water. We actually played a bunch of festivals, once. We were on another label, before Nuclear Blast. And they set up a signing, for us. The messed up thing is, they set up a signing. And we had to sign fuckin' paper plates. They didn't have anything for us to sign. The label never gave them anything for us to sign. So we signed paper plates at one thing for them. Then at another festival, we had to sign backs of Amon Amarth posters. They didn't have anything for us there to sign. So its like, why are you going to set up a signing for us and not have something Suffocation to sign?
XM:Is there any scores you want to settle with the world right now?
Guy: Yeah, just the thing I touched on before. Which is the music industry, and kids illegally downloading shit. I mean, I've downloaded shit too. But if I like it, I'll go buy the CD. But mostly, I think you should support the bands, and buy their merch. Especially if you like them. Cause' bands aren't going to be around if you don't support 'em. They're gonna windle away and disappear, cause they cant survive. And I know the economy is bad and stuff, but really I think that if Suffocation ever got to the point of say like
where Metallica is or Slayer. Which that aint ever gunna happen, but if we ever got to something like that. I would want to do something where every time we go out on tour we bring a new and up-coming band. Like, if we we're touring across the US, in each state that we toured. We'd have a contest for a local unsigned band to be on the bill. Just to help the scene, and help bands. Give bands the opportunity for bands to get to where we go to. Cause it seems like they ain't giving us any fuckin' opportunity. Doing this DevilDriver tour it sick, don't get me wrong. But, to get on some kind of big festival tour or reunion tour is something we've been waiting on now for twenty years.
XM: What have suffocation been listening to latley?
Guy: Before I left on this tour I was listening to the first Hate Eternal album for a little bit. And Gojira. What else... I listened to some DevilDriver before this tour, just to see what they were about. I really don't know, I really didn't know. I don't listen to them. But they got some catchy songs, It's not my cup of tea. But they're all cool dudes. I listen to a lot of Pink Floyd and stuff like that. The rest of the guys, I don't know what they're listening to.Â
XM:Whats the most ridiculous thing you've ever put on your rider?
Guy: We don't really do anything too ridiculous, ever. Some times, we're just like fuck it, you know? Like if we're out in Europe and its just we cant get anywhere, we'll get like a carton of cigarettes or some shit like that. But that ain't even that ridiculous. So there's really nothing ridiculous that we put on the rider. Typically, we wont ask for anything unless we really needed it or wanted it. We just get the normal shit, beer, water, bottle or two of liquor. And like some cold-cuts. Ham, cheese, bread. Peanut butter and Jelly, shit like that. Basic stuff.
XM: Thanks very much for the interview! Any last words?
Guy: Just support the scene like I said. Those of you who have been supporting, thank you. |
