SPV/Steamhammer Records
  [May 2003 : The BullGod Speaks ... an interview with Dave Wyndorf]                                                                                                                                
 

 
 
A couple of weeks back, shortly after it became clear that certain changes were occuring within' the Monster Magnet camp, I took the decision to try and find out what was going on. Whilst I was thinking about a short explanation by any of the bandmembers about what the Magnet was up to in the near future Dave himself proposed to do an exclusive interview for this site. 'Nuff said, here we go : 

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Serge : First of … I really don’t like to ask this ‘cause after all it’s none of my business but it’s kinda inevitable and most fans are curious what happened so … what’s the story behind parting ways with long time Magnet rhythm section Jon Kleiman and Joe Calandra ?

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Dave : Jon and Joe were let go because of their lack of enthusiasm for the music. Monster Magnet is about energy and creativity and these guys weren't giving either of these. We were together for a long time and it was a fun ride, but the fact of the matter is they just didn't dig it enough. This was not a split due to musical differences, it was due to their general indifference. From the very start I welcomed these guys to be a part of the band in any capacity they wished. I love this shit and I work fast and furious, yet very meticulously. Jon and Joe either couldn't or wouldn't keep up. I think they thought this whole thing was a goof.  That was cool though, if they didn't want to be conceptually involved, I’ve got enough vision to go around. They never took Monster Magnet seriously until they saw the money. Even then they rarely had anything to say about musical direction. There was no love for the music. In fact they seemed to have an overall self-image problem going on (fear of rocking). Their motto soon became "We don't know what's going on, it's Dave's band" When it came time to make musical decisions, offer ideas and generally be part of the team, they sat on the fence and did nothing, waiting for me to deliver my songs and vision. Again, I had no problem with this because I love to write songs. It's what I do. If those guys wanted to come along for the ride then that was fine, lets rock. I had high hopes that their enthusiasm would grow; sadly that was not the case. In my opinion the musical relationship between drummer and bass player is the beginning and end of a good band. If those two can't get it together as a rhythm section, arrangements have to be made to ensure the music doesn’t suffer. From the very start these arrangements were made, from redoing bass parts to supplementing drummers. The music always comes first with me. It is impossible to act as a real band when the rhythm section of that band is consistently ten steps behind. Rock out or get out! This was not an easy decision to make, old loyalties run deep and I really like Joe and Jon as people. But laziness, petty complaints and lack of commitment are not the ingredients of my kind of rock n' roll band. I have a responsibility to Ed and Phil; I have a responsibility to Monster Magnet fans and most of all a responsibility for the music we make. Ok I’ve said enough. Music is where it’s at. If you love what you do and you are proud of your work good things will happen. I've never had any doubt. I wish good luck to Joe and Jon and hope they find something to be as passionate about as I have with Monster Magnet.

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Serge : All die hard Monster Magnet fans are fully aware about the fact you write all material for Monster Magnet and the band only teams up whenever it’s time to get into the studio or hit the road, did some ex-band members had problems with this?  

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Dave : Yes. After the Superjudge tour Joe and Jon realised you can make money writing songs and all of a sudden wanted to be in on it. So I told them, as I had all along, if you wanna write songs for Magnet, write songs for Magnet. They came back with 2 tunes to my 20 and I put them on Dopes To Infinity. Those 2 being "Theme from masterburner" and "I control" Both songs co-written and arranged by me. Let me tell you something about writing songs. You've got to put your all into this shit man. This is music! songs! Rock 'n roll! I live and play music everyday of my life. In the early days of Magnet I would write songs in my head while at my day job then go home and write for 4 to 5 hours more and all weekend. These guys treated song writing as a chore at worst and a paycheck at best. This shit does not fly with me! Music first, money second. Still the door was always open for them to contribute, but what little material they did submit later, lacked passion. I couldn't do anything with it. What can I say? You gotta love it and they didn't! Being in a band means contributing in anyway you can. I don't care what anyone says, it's easy! Spiritual support, pride and enthusiasm are major contributions that make for great music, no matter who's writing the songs. No time for crybabies! For the record, every member of Monster Magnet was in for a cut of my publishing just for being in the band. That's fair. Also for the record, all my songs written for Monster Magnet were always delivered in a recorded demo form complete with drum patterns, bass parts, melody lines and arrangements played by myself. It's just faster that way. I was always open to reinterpretation but that rarely happened and never to the extent of rewriting. The slowest process in Monster Magnet has always been in between the writing and the recording. Therefore it always made sense to me to write at my own pace and deliver the songs as a more or less complete record. In many cases, a song that took me a day or two to write would take weeks for the rhythm section to learn. Practice tapes were made and never listened to. That's bullshit and it's no fun. Did I mention that music is supposed to be fun? It is! I am pleased to say that this situation is being rectified as I speak.

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Serge : Any news on who’s gonna replace them yet or are you guys planning on sticking with the remaining members (Dave, Phil, Ed) ‘till after the release of the new album and start auditions once it’s time to think about touring?

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Dave : Ed, Phil and I are totally psyched about Magnet's new bass player, Jim Baglino. Jim is a long time friend, a great bass player and has great taste in music. He also loves to rock! Just wait and see!! We are in the process of auditioning drummers.

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Serge : You said before the new album is ready to be recorded so when are you guys going into studio and is there any news about album title / song titles and release date?

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Dave : We should be in the studio early this summer. Not quite sure on a release date just yet. Tentative title...Radiation Day. Some song titles ... Master Of Light / On the Verge / Slut Machine Mach 2 / Ultimate Everything  / Little Bag Of Gloom. I am still playing with them!

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Serge : Being on a German label now, does this mean the new album will be recorded somewhere in Europe?

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Dave : While that idea seems appealing, I think we will have to do this one in the States somewhere. I am finishing off a movie score that keeps me close to home.

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Serge : Any chance on a scoop about how the new album will sound like, will it be as diverse as the God Says No album, I mean, GSN had a wide variety of songs on it from rock to psychedelic and everything in between or will the new stuff be a radical departure from previous material?

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Dave : The album will be a lot livelier than God Says No. It's full on rock with garage pysch overtones and was written during a pretty scary yet exciting time in the world’s history. It's not a political record but I can't say that world events in the last two years haven't juiced me to a certain extent. My songs are always subject to my environment and that's how it should be.

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Serge : Here’s another thing a lot of people are wondering about … is Tim Cronin still the master of lights for Monster Magnet?

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Dave : Yes indeed he is! Tim and I are the only working links from the original Monster Magnet to the present. He has been involved in almost every capacity you can think of … drummer, singer, conceptualist, publicist, lighting engineer and diplomat. He is simply irreplaceable. His dedication to Monster Magnet is unflappable. His professionalism is commendable.Do you get the picture? He is the brightest guy I have ever known as well as one of the best and most supportive friends I’ve ever had. He also loves music more than anyone I know. A truly unique individual!

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Serge : Any chance on an upcoming Euro tour after the release of the new album or are you guys planning on touring the US first?

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Dave : I am happy to say that there is a Monster Magnet greatest hits album in the works for this summer (through Interscope / A&M, not on SPV)  and we should be touring Europe in late August.

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Serge : Does SPV has a North American outlet or are you guys still looking for a US deal next to the one with SPV / Steamhammer?

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Dave : All deals outside of Europe are pending.

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Serge : Monster Magnet has always been bigger in Europe so was it a planned move to sign to a European label or rather a coincidence, like the right deal at the right time?

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Dave : More like the right deal at the right time. But yes of course, Europe deserves special attention from Monster Magnet and what better way to give that attention.

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Serge : How does it feel to share a label with great bands such as Fu Manchu / Motörhead / Life Of Agony / Firebird etc. I can imagine that especially Phil is thrilled to be on the same label as Motörhead.

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Dave : It's great to be with SPV. Their spirit of independence and their hard work has impressed me for a long time. Their line up is really interesting; I think we will fit in quite nicely. Oh yeah, and Motörhead ...do you even have to ask!

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Serge Most of the time the Steamhammer bands are touring in a package over here with different bands on the same label does this mean we’re gonna see Monster Magnet on the road as part of such a package?

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Dave : Monster Magnet will do whatever it takes to make sure that the shows are both artistically interesting and business savvy.

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Serge : Have you signed to SPV based on the new material or isn’t there any involvement label wise concerning how the new stuff sounds. I heard one of the people in charge at SPV is a long time Monster Magnet fan so my guess is they were thrilled to sign you guys without caring how the new stuff will sound like. 

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Dave : My contact with SPV preceded them hearing any new material.

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Serge : About your involvement in the soundtrack for the movie “Torque” … did you write the entire soundtrack and did all recordings yourself or were there any other musicians involved and who?

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Dave : I wrote the soundtrack stuff at home. I then brought the demos to California where we set up a list of session musicians, which included myself, Phil Caivano, Tommy Lee (yeah that Tommy Lee), Brian Kilgore, Carter Armstrong and others. It was produced by Scott Humpfrey, Frank Gryner and myself.

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Serge : I guess it must have been like a dream coming true being able to work on a soundtrack … is it any different compared to write songs for Monster Magnet?

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Dave : Yeah this is a total dream come true. Being able to write extended pieces with no vocals allows me to explore musical possibilities that had no practical application in rock 'n roll songs. Don't get me wrong, it is still rock. That's what they wanted but I got to orchestrate more guitars, keyboards and strings than I would ever want to put on a Monster Magnet record. It's like being a kid in a candy shop (until of course the movie producers come and cut it all up. Just kidding, I hope)

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Serge : Did you get “carte blanche” from Joseph Khan the “Torque” producer or did he give you instructions on how everything should sound?

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Dave : Joseph liked a song (Master Of Light) I had written for the movie. I then proceeded on my own to write out themes I thought would go well with this type of film (motorcycles!) Joseph then got much more specific with what he needed, like scene transitions etc. It's an interesting process, a lot of opinions are flying around all the time and ultimately it's their picture. There's no business like show business!

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Serge : Has the song “Master Of Lights” been recorded exclusively for the soundtrack or will it appear on the upcoming Monster Magnet album?

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Dave : Master of Light will be on the new Monster Magnet record.

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That's it for now. Thanks to Dave Wyndorf for taking the time to clear this out once and for all. As you all could read the future in Magnet land looks great so be prepared for a heavy dose of Monster Magnet in the upcoming months and many years to come.
[Serge]