We let Drew Ailes loose on another email interview, this time with Cannibal Corpse bassist, Alex Webster. Check out Cannibal Corpse on tour right now as part of Sounds Of The Underground.
comments (25) [post comment]
So I noticed that there's a lot of yelling in your music. Why are you guys so angry all the time?
I don't know, it might be all of these really great questions people ask us.
A lot of people are wondering what happened to the band during the writing of 'Kill.' People are saying this is definitely one of the best Cannibal Corpse records to date.
Well, I think the chemistry of the current lineup is the best we've ever had. We are all heading in the same direction musically now, and that wasn't really the case before.
Why the lack of excessively violent and awesome cover-art?
The original art that Vince gave us was really cool, but we didn't think it would make the best cover. We decided to use it as interior art, and just have a simple band logo/album title type cover. The main focus of our band should be music anyway, so I don't think it's a big deal that the cover's not a blood soaked scene of carnage the way our others have been. This doesn't mean we won't have more bloody covers in the future though.
Why and how was Cannibal Corpse approached to perform at this years Sounds of the Underground Festival?
Our label and booking agent have been trying to get us on a tour opening for bands that are more popular than us for quite a while. We've basically always headlined, (except for two tours) so we agreed we should try and do a tour like that. Our booking agent and our label both have very close ties to the people at the Sounds tour, so we managed to get on the bill.
How does the Sounds of the Underground Festival differ from other fests that you've been a part of?
Well, it's the first time we've even done a festival tour in the USA. In Europe, we've done various death/black metal festival tours over the years, but none of them had the wide variety of bands that Sounds does. We really aren't sure what to expect from this tour, it will be something totally different for us.
Are there any bands you're excited to see night after night?
I'm interested in seeing all of them, but my favorite of the bunch is Behemoth.
So Jack Owen joined Decide after the Hoffman Brothers roid-raged and exposed Glen as not even being Satanic at all. Do you still keep up with him? Will you ever take Jack Owen back after he realizes that Glen Benton is almost as crazy as Glenn Danzig?
I think Jack made the right decision when he left our band. From what I hear, he is very happy with his current situation.
Isn't Glen Benton supposed to have killed himself by now?
I don't know.
What the fuck is wrong with Chris Barnes? Was he always a total douchebag or was it just a gradual thing? Because he sure is a giant fucking douchebag now.
Haha, well I'm sure my personality could use a little work too, so I won't slag anybody else.
In an interview, Alex Webster stated that there's always this Six Feet Under Vs. Cannibal Corpse thing going on. He compared it to not Coca-Cola Vs. Pepsi, but Coca-Cola Vs. Pizza. In actuality, both things are pretty awesome; they actually compliment each other. If there was really a Six Feet Under Vs. Cannibal Corpse thing going on, it'd really be more like Coca-Cola Vs. catching syphilis from a transvestite prostitute and then going untreated for a really long time until eventually you're affected with dementia and blindness. This isn't really a question so much as it's just an astute observation.
Hahahahaha! Well, I wouldn't put too much stock in what that douchebag Webster has to say anyway.
Has anyone ever compared George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher to a heavy metal version of Brendan Fraiser? And don't bring up the movie Airheads, because while we know that was kind of the metal version of him, it would ruin this question.
Haha, nope that's the first time I've heard that one. Some people say he's the death metal Henry Rollins, because of the neck thing.
What was with Jim Carrey specially requesting you guys for Ace Ventura? What was the reaction amongst the members of the band when that offer came up?
We were all quite shocked and happy as well. It still seems quite surreal that he even knew who we were.
Why do so many politicians hate Cannibal Corpse? Have you ever considered just writing songs about various politicians?
We're an easy target, that's why they target us. We don't have the resources to fight back against their bullshit. Anyway, I don't know if we'd want to have songs about politicians...murderers, perverts, maniacs, sure...but politicians, well that's just going a little too far.
Do you guys ever just look at your song titles and start to laugh?
There's a couple that could definitely be seen in a humorous light, although we really don't intend them to be so.
What happens when you guys go to family reunions and things of that nature? Do you have Aunts and Uncles come up to you and talk about how "Addicted to Vaginal Skin" was the song that really made them warm up to your music?
We never get much past the name of the band before the subject is awkwardly changed, haha.
Did shows ever feel redundant back when you were out touring with Angel Corpse? I knew a guy named Don Decker from a band called Anal Blast who used to call them Bubbles Corpse because he claimed that their singer, Gene, stole his girlfriend or was sold to him for a beer.
Angel Corpse totally rule, that was a killer tour. There are so many bands with the same words in their names, like “corpse”, “dark”, “morbid”, “black”, etc. that it doesn't really matter to us if we share the stage with a band that has either the word “cannibal” or “corpse” in their name (as long as it's not both)! I don't know about any of the local drama you're talking about, so no comment.
If not Don Decker, who is the most ridiculous metal personality out there?
Again, this is another question where I fear I may live in a glass house, so to speak. Next!
Why are there so many bands with the word "Corpse" in their name? Does this ever bother you, being one of the main pioneers of the word in the realm of metal names?
No, actually Ripping Corpse and Rotting Corpse were around before us, I'm pretty sure. So I hope our name doesn't bother them!
So how do you feel right now?
Like it's time to make dinner, to be honest. It's almost 7 pm where I am.
How do you feel about a 48 year old woman masturbating to your music while drooling on themselves drunkenly in your audience? The reason I ask is because one of our board members actually witnessed this at a show.
However somebody wants to enjoy are music is fine with me, as long as it doesn't hurt anybody else.
When I was 14, I used to be on AOL and I'd go into the chat room called "Pregnant Chat". Then I'd use programs to scroll Cannibal Corpse lyrics until I was kicked offline. How does that make you feel?
Haha, I guess I should be beaming with pride, right?
You guys got my friend Jason suspended in high school after he put on the Monolith of Death VHS video in our science class. How does that make you feel?
Well, I got suspended for wearing a Megadeth “Rattle your god damn head” shirt back when I was in high school, so I guess I'm happy that our band could be part of something that's almost like a rite of passage for high school metal heads!
My friend Will eventually got a hold of that very same copy of that video from our friend Jason. He kept it in the jacket pocket of his trenchcoat. He had mushrooms in one pocket and the Cannibal Corpse VHS in the other pocket. He was digging in his pockets to give me my share of the mushrooms, and then a science teacher came up and started asking him questions about what he was looking for in his pockets. He pulled out the Cannibal Corpse VHS and claimed he had nothing else in his pocket. As a result, he was escorted to the principals office where he was searched, arrested, and ultimately expelled for possession of mushrooms. Will's parents still let him attend a Cannibal Corpse show later that year where he sung into the microphone during "Devoured By Vermin." This was his greatest achievement in life, which he actually put on a fucking resume for a job.
So now how do you feel?
Wow... that was even more than I expected. Awesome.
What are your top five favorite albums of the last five years?
1. Spawn of Possession “Cabinet”
2. Necrophagist “Epitaph”
3. Aeon “Bleeding the False”
4. Hate Eternal “I Monarch”
5. Spastic Ink “Ink Compatible”
Was this probably the best interview you've ever had the pleasure of being involved with?
Oh, it's definitely right up there with the best.
Is there anything else you'd care to add?
Just a big thanks to our fans, and thanks for the interview. We hope to see everybody on tour this summer, and throughout the year.
Thanks for being such an important part of my growing up, Cannibal Corpse. You guys are still awesome. Lambgoat loves your new album.
Thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed for Lambgoat, and thank you for the support!
