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Rob Zombie

Category :

Musicians & Bands

Location :

UnderWorld,CALIFORNIA
United States

Members :

200

Description :

Rob Zombie

This is a place for any and all Rob Zombie fans and worshipers.

Return of the Zombie

From New York City, Riding into their Australian Tour on an unceasing wave of promotion and publicity since the release of their album 'Astro-Creep 2000 Songs Of Love, Destruction And Other Synthetic Delusions Of The Electric Head' come White Zombie, four begarbed and bedaubed individuals who have been promoted as the rock band of 1995. The worst thing for our youth since mouldy sliced bread. The interesting thing for me was whether they measured up to the image; did they walk the walk, did they talk the talk? Are White Zombie demonising miscreants out to cut a swath through our idyllic existence? Meet lead singer Rob Zombie...

"I always find it funny when people ask me, "Do you worship the Devil?," he chuckles. "I find it funny, I don't even know what it means... it's the stupidest question." White Zombie, you see, dwell in the realm of black humour, coming from a world of B Grade movies and bad novels (the name is taken from a 1932 Bela Lugosi horror movie). Being interested in bizarre imagery is not the same thing as embracing it. White Zombie are a band of savage irony who use the images of a counter culture, but who are in hot pursuit of mainstream success. When I tell him I don't find anything particularly devilish or menacing about 'Astro-Creep 2000' he is quick to agree.
"I don't either... it's only music. The people who would ban it or condemn it are the people who have never heard it or never seen it. That's usually how it works." The same people, he suggests, as those who find a punkish mohawk menacing, even they've been with us since '77. "Everything's great though," he says of the album's reception. "I had some worries about putting out a follow up to a record (1991's 'La Sexorcisto:Devil Music Vol I') which had done really well, but everything's great. After your first success you never know if it's going to be you last one. After having finally reached a wide audience you have no idea what that audience thinks, or what they expect - it's kinda weird.
"It's easier to get success than it is to hold onto it," he says weightedly. Which, in its own way, creates the opening for me to ask about the early days and expectations of White Zombie, who fomented in New York City in 1985 around the ides of Rob and bass player Sean Yseult, who met one night at the legendary CBGB's.
"I just grew up being completely attracted to the dark side of things. I dunno why, it just happened like that you know? When you're a little kid you always go, "Why is that?" and they go 'Because'. 'Because why?' These are the things now that my whole life revolves around - 'What are the neighbours going to think?' "Who f**king cares what the neighbours think!" he answers himself. "We weren't aiming for anything, tell you the truth. There were no goals, because back then there was no need to have goals. The industry, and the whole world, wasn't set up for bands like this. You pretty much started a band like this knowing you would probably be unknown and unpopular for your entire career, and you just did it because you liked it."
Something, obviously, changed to allow a band like White Zombie to achieve sizeable appeal... "The whole world has changed, completely changed. Bands that nobody had ever heard of are now legendary bands. When you got into punk rock in high school it was just a reason for you to get beat up at school. But that happens with everything, I suppose." He cites with everything, I suppose." He cites The Ramones, Black Flag, Bad Brains, Misfits... "American hardcore was what I was into"
By 1986, White Zombie had released two singles, but never played live. When the band did debut live, it was on familiar ground at CBGB's, ending a period for them which Rob has previously described as 'a hobby that was way too much work'. After ten years, a lot of guitar players and drummers, and four albums, they're a stadium level band around the world, who tour with a stage show of epic proportion.
"It's kind of a building process," says Rob. "Every time we go out on tour we make it bigger.
"Enough is never enough; we have a big stage with video screens and pyro and explosions, props and the whole shebang. It's a pretty big show. But we just came back from Europe where we did a festival tour. We didn't bring anything; we played in bright sunlight on an empty stage and it was awesome. It was almost better - the shows went great. It just proves that stuff is just icing on the cake. Some people like to say we're hiding behind that stuff, but to me it just adds to it."
Having considered whether the elaborate imagery overshadows the music, it's worth getting to the nub of things: entertainment. "Yeah. When you're doing something like this some people get it, and some people are going to see it that way. To me, it's just the whole package. When a band blows up to arena level you can't just walk on stage and do nothing. To me, it's like for people at the back of the arena it's meaningless."
And make no mistake, he's aware of the difficulties. "It's tricky. These kids have saved up their money for a show so you gotta give 'em something."We try as hard as possible to leave the kids completely shell shocked. We want it to be the hot topic the next day at school. Get 'em when they're young!"

Rob Zombie and his Tats
Their CD's have titles like "Make Them Die Slowly" and their most recent Geffen Records release, "La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1." The music is straight-ahead heavy, not for the timid or weak in the ear--a refreshing escape to the bizarre end of the spectrum. Remember: The sun also shines on the wicked. And on wicked tattoos, which are the kind White Zombie acquires when they get around sharp objects like tattooing equipment. Rob Zombie, vocalist of White Zombie, is a straightforward person, and his philosophy on tattooing is as solid and practical as a hammer: "You want one, you get one. It hurts. You like it or you don't." Choosing an artist was easy for the dreadlocked singer. "I always liked the idea of them. The only reason I never got one before was that I never saw one that was really great until I saw Guy Aitchison's work. The last thing you want is a bad tattoo." Off-stage, Zombie is an accomplished artist. He designed most of the tattoos on his body, and collaborated with Guy on the others. He spent a short period of time in art school, but ditched it for good after deciding it was "horseshit." Zombie's tattooing is confined to his arms so far, but there's no real unifying theme behind his collection. "I always come up with an idea at the last second and say to myself, 'Gee, I hope I like it tomorrow.'" In the end, Rob plans on being fully sleeved, and it will be Aitchison that does the work. "Every time I go to Chicago, I see Guy." Straker said, "People say, 'Check out so and so, his work is just as good as Guy's.' And I look and say, 'No it's not.'"

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