IPOD
RADIO
Al Jourgensen
By Daniel Robert Epstein
Jun 19, 2004
Many people including Al Jourgensen, critics and fans have compared the new Ministry album, Houses of the Molé, to their last great album Psalm 69. The comparisons are well founded because this album is fast, edgy, disturbing and just plain old fucked up. It’s also the first Ministry album to be released without Paul Barker’s influence.
It’s damn cool that Jourgensen decided to be interviewed for SuicideGirls. But the mixture of the punk and hardcore attitude with the beautiful women was impossible for him to resist.
Check out Ministry’s official website
Daniel Robert Epstein: You use Carmina Burana in the first song on Houses of the Molé. Is it not one of the greatest songs ever?
Al Jourgensen: It’s pretty evil, yeah.
DRE:
I heard you referenced this new album as Psalm 70.
AJ:
One song is called Psalm 23 because of the actual psalm “though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.” It’s pretty evil. But a lot of people are calling it Psalm 70 which is one better than Psalm 69. They think it’s a very similar approach.
DRE:
Do you feel it’s similar?
AJ:
I think things just fell into place that way. Paul [Barker] left the band after 18 years and he’s the more computer experimental guy and I’m the more, drink a bunch of wine and play guitar guy. It’s the first time we recorded it as a band with guitars and drums live since Psalm 69. So of course it’s going to sound like that but it wasn’t conscious. I think it just fell into place that way.
DRE:
How was it working without Paul?
AJ:
It was awesome, man. It was great to rock again instead of waiting for a bunch of typing to get done.
DRE:
Are you not a computer guy?
AJ:
In some forms but I certainly don’t want to make it too habit forming.
DRE:
Were you upset about Paul leaving?
AJ:
He’s got to move on, no problem.
DRE:
So this was a more fun recording?
AJ:
Yeah Paul and I were never best buddies. We were good business partners in a sense. We created well together. So it was nice to have good friends in the band this time. Paul and I two different people.
DRE:
I heard you're doing a new Revolting Cocks album.
AJ:
Yep that’s what we are doing right now.
DRE:
Do you have a certain mindset for Ministry then another for other projects?
AJ:
Ministry is a lot more work for me because I have to do the lyrics, play guitar, produce and do the vocals. The Cocks is a lot more fun for me. It’s four or five different people that all have their own ideas so all I have to do is play guitar and produce.
DRE:
What does [ex-Mind Funk bassist] John Monte bring?
AJ:
Awesome bass player, great energy, enthusiasm and he writes well. I’ve known him for 15 years so it’s a no-brainer that’s he’s in the band.
DRE:
Where do you discover the samples you use?
AJ:
All over the place, man. There isn’t one source. Obviously from TV on a song like “TV Song.” Then other things like a 1950’s radio broadcast from a pirate radio station on the border of the United States and Mexico, which we found on a reel to reel.
DRE:
Do you have a huge collection of rare stuff?
AJ:
Yeah I guess so. The world is my sample, you know?
DRE:
One critic said that a lot of the songs starting with W is a critique on our president.
AJ:
I would say so. Fuck that guy!
DRE:
Are you for John Kerry or just no Bush?
AJ:
A little of both but mainly no Bush. It’s not even Bush because he’s an idiot. It’s the administration behind Bush, all his cronies that were back there in the day with Reagan and Bush Sr. like the Wolfowitzs, the Cheneys, the Rumsfelds and their complete agenda for energy and oil companies.
DRE:
So do you think your albums are better when a Bush is in office?
AJ:
That’s what I hear.
DRE:
Do you feel like the album itself is political?
AJ:
I would say so. The times are political so sure.
DRE:
How have you changed now that you're 45?
AJ:
I don’t know. I’m still kind of an agro guy.
DRE:
Are you an angry guy?
AJ:
That’s what I hear [laughs].
DRE:
You can’t always be angry.
AJ:
Of course not. I think I’m a pussycat but whatever.
DRE:
What would other people say?
AJ:
I always hear rumors of stuff I did.
DRE:
Is it stuff you did when you were doing drugs?
AJ:
I think that’s possible.
DRE:
Do you regret anything?
AJ:
I don’t regret a fucken day in my life. Everything you’ve done points to where you are right now and I’m pretty happy right now.
DRE:
Do you ever get a chance to meet fans in person?
AJ:
I stay away from that like the plague. We’re out here in the middle of the desert by ourselves and that’s the way it should be. I like peace, solitude and being out of the craziness. It doesn’t have anything to do with my fans. I would rather just do my art, not talk about it, not party about it but just do my fucken art. That’s what makes me happy.
DRE:
What do you do besides music?
AJ:
I’m getting politically active with this year’s election and I read like a motherfucker.
DRE:
What are you reading now?
AJ:
Right now I’m reading a book by Eric Alterman and Mark Green called The Book on Bush: How George W. (MIS)Leads America.
DRE:
Are you into TV?
AJ:
I think its called CNN and BBC.
DRE:
What about movies?
AJ:
The last movie I saw was absolutely fucken stupid, The Day After Tomorrow. I haven’t seen any good movies for a while. I’m waiting for Fahrenheit 9/11 and see what that’s like. I’ve read all of Michael Moore’s books so I’m sure it will be good.
DRE:
Ray Charles just passed. Was he a big influence on you?
AJ:
A couple of songs of course, “What He Say” is a classic. But it wasn’t anything real cognizant. If Hank Williams Sr. was alive today then died I probably would have a conniption fit.
DRE:
Have you thought about putting together another label like you did with Wax Trax?
AJ:
I’ve thought about it but I’m so busy doing music I wouldn’t be able to give it my all and that’s what you got to do to make it work.
DRE:
What other bands are you doing now?
AJ:
We call it the three-headed monster. It’s Ministry, Revolting Cocks and Lard. We just gave Jello [Biafra] six songs to peruse and write some lyrics but he’s busy with The Melvins doing another side project.
DRE:
I read an older quote where you said you didn’t like to be onstage. Is that still true?
AJ:
I prefer studio life. Like I said, I create in quiet instead all the bread and circuses of a tour. I’ve grown accustomed to playing live. It’s a whole different thing when you're clean too. I nearly shit my pants the first time I ever went out there sober. I was like “What the fuck is this?” But nowadays I’m used to it and it’s a lot more fulfilling than it used to be.
DRE:
Festivals seem to be gearing up again. Would you do one of those again?
AJ:
Festivals are almost a necessary evil. I understand the premise and attraction of seeing all these bands at once. But I don’t like to play them as much because the sets are shorter; it’s not as intimate and it’s kind of a picnic atmosphere. I’m not a big picnic guy.
DRE:
I couldn’t see you as a picnic kind of guy.
How do you create your music?
AJ:
Every single song is different. Every single song is a journey. I don’t have a set way to do anything. I usually go into an album without a single preset idea. The album writes me more than I write it in a sense.
DRE:
It’s not automatic though.
AJ:
It just gets to the point where I get this riff stuck in my fucken head so it might be time to do an album then we take it from there.
DRE:
You moved out of your house before you finished high school. Why was that?
AJ:
Just normal teenager bullshit. But I still put myself through high school and college then started the band almost the end of college.
DRE:
What degree did you get?
AJ:
In history.
DRE:
Has that helped you?
AJ:
This rock thing got in the way of my teaching career.
DRE:
I read you might go teach.
AJ:
That’s the goal.
DRE:
How long has that been the goal?
AJ:
Since I was 19.
DRE:
What are you up to next?
AJ:
Many people including Al Jourgensen, critics and fans have compared the new Ministry album, Houses of the Molé, to their last great album Psalm 69. The comparisons are well founded because this album is fast, edgy, disturbing and just plain old fucked up. It’s also the first Ministry album to be released without Paul Barker’s influence.
It’s damn cool that Jourgensen decided to be interviewed for SuicideGirls. But the mixture of the punk and hardcore attitude with the beautiful women was impossible for him to resist.
Check out Ministry’s official website
Daniel Robert Epstein: You use Carmina Burana in the first song on Houses of the Molé. Is it not one of the greatest songs ever?
Al Jourgensen: It’s pretty evil, yeah.
DRE:
I heard you referenced this new album as Psalm 70.
AJ:
One song is called Psalm 23 because of the actual psalm “though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.” It’s pretty evil. But a lot of people are calling it Psalm 70 which is one better than Psalm 69. They think it’s a very similar approach.
DRE:
Do you feel it’s similar?
AJ:
I think things just fell into place that way. Paul [Barker] left the band after 18 years and he’s the more computer experimental guy and I’m the more, drink a bunch of wine and play guitar guy. It’s the first time we recorded it as a band with guitars and drums live since Psalm 69. So of course it’s going to sound like that but it wasn’t conscious. I think it just fell into place that way.
DRE:
How was it working without Paul?
AJ:
It was awesome, man. It was great to rock again instead of waiting for a bunch of typing to get done.
DRE:
Are you not a computer guy?
AJ:
In some forms but I certainly don’t want to make it too habit forming.
DRE:
Were you upset about Paul leaving?
AJ:
He’s got to move on, no problem.
DRE:
So this was a more fun recording?
AJ:
Yeah Paul and I were never best buddies. We were good business partners in a sense. We created well together. So it was nice to have good friends in the band this time. Paul and I two different people.
DRE:
I heard you're doing a new Revolting Cocks album.
AJ:
Yep that’s what we are doing right now.
DRE:
Do you have a certain mindset for Ministry then another for other projects?
AJ:
Ministry is a lot more work for me because I have to do the lyrics, play guitar, produce and do the vocals. The Cocks is a lot more fun for me. It’s four or five different people that all have their own ideas so all I have to do is play guitar and produce.
DRE:
What does [ex-Mind Funk bassist] John Monte bring?
AJ:
Awesome bass player, great energy, enthusiasm and he writes well. I’ve known him for 15 years so it’s a no-brainer that’s he’s in the band.
DRE:
Where do you discover the samples you use?
AJ:
All over the place, man. There isn’t one source. Obviously from TV on a song like “TV Song.” Then other things like a 1950’s radio broadcast from a pirate radio station on the border of the United States and Mexico, which we found on a reel to reel.
DRE:
Do you have a huge collection of rare stuff?
AJ:
Yeah I guess so. The world is my sample, you know?
DRE:
One critic said that a lot of the songs starting with W is a critique on our president.
AJ:
I would say so. Fuck that guy!
DRE:
Are you for John Kerry or just no Bush?
AJ:
A little of both but mainly no Bush. It’s not even Bush because he’s an idiot. It’s the administration behind Bush, all his cronies that were back there in the day with Reagan and Bush Sr. like the Wolfowitzs, the Cheneys, the Rumsfelds and their complete agenda for energy and oil companies.
DRE:
So do you think your albums are better when a Bush is in office?
AJ:
That’s what I hear.
DRE:
Do you feel like the album itself is political?
AJ:
I would say so. The times are political so sure.
DRE:
How have you changed now that you're 45?
AJ:
I don’t know. I’m still kind of an agro guy.
DRE:
Are you an angry guy?
AJ:
That’s what I hear [laughs].
DRE:
You can’t always be angry.
AJ:
Of course not. I think I’m a pussycat but whatever.
DRE:
What would other people say?
AJ:
I always hear rumors of stuff I did.
DRE:
Is it stuff you did when you were doing drugs?
AJ:
I think that’s possible.
DRE:
Do you regret anything?
AJ:
I don’t regret a fucken day in my life. Everything you’ve done points to where you are right now and I’m pretty happy right now.
DRE:
Do you ever get a chance to meet fans in person?
AJ:
I stay away from that like the plague. We’re out here in the middle of the desert by ourselves and that’s the way it should be. I like peace, solitude and being out of the craziness. It doesn’t have anything to do with my fans. I would rather just do my art, not talk about it, not party about it but just do my fucken art. That’s what makes me happy.
DRE:
What do you do besides music?
AJ:
I’m getting politically active with this year’s election and I read like a motherfucker.
DRE:
What are you reading now?
AJ:
Right now I’m reading a book by Eric Alterman and Mark Green called The Book on Bush: How George W. (MIS)Leads America.
DRE:
Are you into TV?
AJ:
I think its called CNN and BBC.
DRE:
What about movies?
AJ:
The last movie I saw was absolutely fucken stupid, The Day After Tomorrow. I haven’t seen any good movies for a while. I’m waiting for Fahrenheit 9/11 and see what that’s like. I’ve read all of Michael Moore’s books so I’m sure it will be good.
DRE:
Ray Charles just passed. Was he a big influence on you?
AJ:
A couple of songs of course, “What He Say” is a classic. But it wasn’t anything real cognizant. If Hank Williams Sr. was alive today then died I probably would have a conniption fit.
DRE:
Have you thought about putting together another label like you did with Wax Trax?
AJ:
I’ve thought about it but I’m so busy doing music I wouldn’t be able to give it my all and that’s what you got to do to make it work.
DRE:
What other bands are you doing now?
AJ:
We call it the three-headed monster. It’s Ministry, Revolting Cocks and Lard. We just gave Jello [Biafra] six songs to peruse and write some lyrics but he’s busy with The Melvins doing another side project.
DRE:
I read an older quote where you said you didn’t like to be onstage. Is that still true?
AJ:
I prefer studio life. Like I said, I create in quiet instead all the bread and circuses of a tour. I’ve grown accustomed to playing live. It’s a whole different thing when you're clean too. I nearly shit my pants the first time I ever went out there sober. I was like “What the fuck is this?” But nowadays I’m used to it and it’s a lot more fulfilling than it used to be.
DRE:
Festivals seem to be gearing up again. Would you do one of those again?
AJ:
Festivals are almost a necessary evil. I understand the premise and attraction of seeing all these bands at once. But I don’t like to play them as much because the sets are shorter; it’s not as intimate and it’s kind of a picnic atmosphere. I’m not a big picnic guy.
DRE:
I couldn’t see you as a picnic kind of guy.
How do you create your music?
How do you create your music?
AJ:
Every single song is different. Every single song is a journey. I don’t have a set way to do anything. I usually go into an album without a single preset idea. The album writes me more than I write it in a sense.
DRE:
It’s not automatic though.
AJ:
It just gets to the point where I get this riff stuck in my fucken head so it might be time to do an album then we take it from there.
DRE:
You moved out of your house before you finished high school. Why was that?
AJ:
Just normal teenager bullshit. But I still put myself through high school and college then started the band almost the end of college.
DRE:
What degree did you get?
AJ:
In history.
DRE:
Has that helped you?
AJ:
This rock thing got in the way of my teaching career.
DRE:
I read you might go teach.
AJ:
That’s the goal.
DRE:
How long has that been the goal?
AJ:
Since I was 19.
DRE:
What are you up to next?
AJ:
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