On countless occasions I have been able to take aside one of the guys from Brooklyn’s TYPE O NEGATIVE and chat about a new tour or a new album with the guys; to get the ideas behind the goal of a record or find out how touring life affects the band. This time around when I heard the guys were gearing up to head out on the road with Hatebreed on the Jager Tour, I decided to take the interview process in a little different direction. Along with a new idea of asking some other then normal band questions, I got the chance to chat with Kenny (the band member I have never spoken too) so right after sound check I was taken to the bands dressing room and had a little one on one with the mighty Mr. Kenny Hickey.
STARTING A NEW TOUR DO YOU HAVE ANY RITUALS TO BOND WITH THE BANDS YOU’RE GOING TO BE TOURING WITH?
Oh yea we will bond. We usually set up a Kiss club at the end of the night. This entails hanging up Kiss posters and we blast Kiss and we drink whiskey. Everyone’s invited as long as they know the lyrics and we scream our heads off like 12 year old kids.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KISS SONG?
Probably SHE
SO IS THIS SOMETHING YOU ARE GOING TO DO TONIGHT?
I don’t know but probably we are here till 3:30am
WHAT HAPPEN TO THE FIRST LEG OF THIS TOUR?
Well, that wasn’t a Jager tour it was a bunch of Type O headlining shows but it wasn’t cancelled, all we did was move those dates from the beginning of this tour to the back end of the tour.
ANY REASON WHY YOU MOVED THE DATES?
Peter was not feeling so well.
IS HE OK NOW?
Yea he is alright, he is fine.
THE RE-RELEASE OF DEAD AGAIN WAS THIS AN IDEA OF YOURS TO PUT IT OUT?
It was a total record label stint.. Ya know aww come on (laughing) It was really designed to give the record a little more lifespan
IF YOU COULD PERSONALLY PUT SOMETHING IN THE LIMITED EDITION BOX SET OF DEAD AGAIN TO GIVE YOUR FANS A TOKEN OF YOUR PERSONALITY WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Probably Vicadon (laughing)
IS THAT YOUR FINAL ANSWER?
Yes (laughing) that is my final answer!!
HOW MUCH EMPHASIS DOES TYPE O NEGATIVE PUT ON THEIR VIDEOS?
We used to put a big emphasis on it but now there is no real media to push it on. You spend 100,000 to make a video which is expensive these days and it gets spun twice on Head bangers ball, and that’s it and then you might get some local or cable stations, its really not a big promotional tool anymore especially for our bands. Best video we made we made in Serbia because it’s so damn cheap to shoot over there. We were already in Europe and they flew us there and it was a wild place. It was so war torn, there were holes blown into sides of buildings. You were able to buy a grenade on the street for a 100 euros (laughing)
SO DO YOU HAVE ONE NOW?
HAHAHA, No I didn’t get hooked up with the gypsies while I was over there.
DO YOU THINK LABELS STILL PUSH FOR THE MIGHTY VIDEO?
Yea I think so, if you are a certain artist like Mariah Carey you can spend half a million on a video but for rock bands, I think if you look at heavy bands or like head bangers ball now its guys making videos in garages, its horrible but that is what the standard has been lowered too
I WOULD THINK BECAUSE OF MYSPACE AND YOU TUBE YOU WOULD STILL GET THE SAME KIND OF ATTENDANCE WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS?
Yea it does get that but like I said we used to spend 150,000 on videos back in the day but now the average range is like 50 grand
IT’S BETTER TO USE THAT MONEY IN A NEW CD OR DVD!!
Yea that is good too cause if you release any kind of home video you can add it.
YOU GUYS ARE DOING A METAL FESTIVAL IN MONTREAL AND PLAYING WITH LIKE OLD SCHOOL BANDS LIKE IRON MAIDEN ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT THIS?
We were just playing with them a lot over in Europe for festivals so we can be thrown in the mix with them a lot. So we can hang out with Slash and be in Kiss clothes (laughing) I’ve been on stage left for Aerosmith which was awesome, so I have played and seen them a bunch of times and Overkill I have known those guys since the beginning like 1997. We both started from the same place so. A funny story is that we got Bruce from Iron maiden drunk in TX one time and we had him backstage and we had a grass skirt on him doing the hula backstage (laughing)
DO WE HAVE VIDEO OF THIS?? (LAUGHING)
Unfortunately no but I wish I did (laughing)
IF YOU COULD BE PRESIDENT WHAT ONE THING WOULD YOU CHANGE?
I wouldn’t want to be president but if so I would change the health crisis over here. That is the thing that needs to be changed in this country
HYPOTHETICALLY IF YOU COULD LEAVE PLANET EARTH AND LIVE ON ANOTHER PLANET WHICH ONE WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE ON?
Probably one of Jupiter’s moons just for the view
IF YOUR BAND HAD TO CONVERT TO ANOTHER STYLE OF MUSIC WHAT WOULD IT BE? WHAT ARTIST WOULD YOU WANT TO COLLABORATE WITH?
Blues and Stevie Ray Vaughn
BEING IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS FOR THE LENGTH YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN, WHAT DO YOU FEEL HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR THE BAND IN THE BUSINESS?
Keeping us from killing each other on a daily basis
AND THE BIGGEST ASSET YOU HAVE GIVEN THE MUSIC BUSINESS WITH YOUR BAND?
That’s a loaded question (laughing) ASSET…we certainly haven’t gotten any assets out of it (laughing) I wouldn’t call it a asset but I am going to say I think we have added something to the music world. There are bands that covered our stuff and some bands that sound like us.
BIGGEST PET PEEVE?
I don’t know, a lot of things annoy me.
THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY PETER?
NOOO Peter doesn’t annoy me, I would say Josh before Peter (laughing)
IF THERE WAS A MOVIE MADE ABOUT YOUR LIFE WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED?
The most unlucky lucky guy
WHO WOULD PLAY YOU?
Joe Pesci
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF DOING MUSIC UNTIL YOU CANT DO IT ANYMORE? AND IS THERE ANOTHER CAREER PATH IN THIS BUSINESS YOU WANT TO DO?
Yes I see myself doing music and no I don’t want to be a manager or a label guy. I mean I have friends that sell guitars and make more money in that but I don’t know if I am going to be out of music all together I’m going to be out of it all together. The only thing I like about the music business is being able to make music and play it and playing live shows so everything else is shit so
WHEN YOU WERE SMALLER WHAT DID YOU WANNA DO?
I first wanted to be a paleontologist. I was a total nerd. Then I discovered Elton John and Kiss and Black Sabbath at about 10 and then never looked back.
HONESTLY WHAT HAS MUSIC GIVEN YOU TO STRENGTHEN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE?
Endurance, it has taught me endurance
DO YOU GUYS THINK YOU HAVE ANOTHER 10 YEARS IN YA?
If we all live yea!!
WORKING ON ANYTHING NEW?
No, Peter was a little sick before the tour so we really only got four rehearsals in and have thrown in one new song for the tour so now we are here so no time for writing new stuff. We are going to work on the album when we get home
BETTER TO WORK ON STUFF AT HOME THEN ON THE ROAD?
Yea we never work on stuff on the road
ANY SUMMER TOUR PLANS?
No like I said we’ve got to write a new album and it takes this band like two years to put out an album, so we got to get on that
THANK YOU SIR AND HAVE A GOOD FIRST SHOW TONIGHT?
Thanks and enjoy it!!
Type O Negative Links: official website | myspace | music videos & live videos | music on i-tunes
Very cool interview. Kenny is a funny dude. The whole band kicks azz;) Thanks for sharing;)
THANK YOU NOW HOW I KNOW THAT YOU ARE THE NOW
YOU CAN BE ONE THING THAT YOU LOVE IS YOUR SELF NOW THANK YOU…. BY ACQWETA .
I love Type O Negative, I’ve seen them live a couple times and they always kick ass!