"Your World Offends Me": Cancerslug's Alex Story Discusses True Horror
Houston Press Blog, by Jesse Sendejas Jr.
"Fetus Milkshake."
"3 Days She Bled, 3 Days I Bathed."
"In the Dumpster Behind the Clinic."
These are a few of the better-known and loved songs from Alabama underground horror-punks Cancerslug. Alex Story, the group's founder and driving force, is aware his band's music might seem offensive to some. But before you show up with picket signs or your local clergy at their next show, consider his take on what he does.
"The purpose of art is to evoke an emotional response," says Story. "It's not my place as an artist to say what your personal response should be to your observation of my work. If I have done my job right, then there will be at least one statement or image or song involved with Cancerslug that will anger, annoy or offend any given person."
"Your world offends me," he continues. "Your society offends me, the vile horrors that occur every day. So, if my words or images offend, why would I care? Those snobby, pretentious assholes that want to sit high in judgment of what they deem worthy or unworthy of praise or ridicule mean less than nothing to me. The kids that tell me that my music saved their lives are the only ones that matter to me."
Those kids exist -- collectively they're known as the "Slugcult" -- and many will be on hand when Cancerslug returns to Houston this Sunday at Eastdown Warehouse, 850 McKee.
Alex Story"I think maybe 2007 was the last time through there, although we've played through Texas a bit since then," Story says. "The only thing I really remember was (drummer) Mike leaving with some guy to get high without his phone, so we had to detective around Houston to find his ass in time to make the next show."
Cancerslug is presently a trio, with Cassie Baher on bass and Mike Horgan on drums; Story formed the band in 1999. The current tour, dubbed "Rape The Nation," is in support of the band's new release, Seasons of Sickness.
Although its catalog features more than 200 songs across nearly a dozen albums, Story says the new title is something of a first for Cancerslug.
"The main difference between Seasons of Sickness and the previous albums and demos is the production value," he explains. "We recorded with a killer engineer at Clearwave Studio in Alabama. He really captured the sound I wanted on this disk with a clarity we have never had before, but without losing our raw feel. But when it all comes down to it, it's still Cancerslug. It's pure, in-your-face rock and roll."
For the uninitiated, Cancerslug's sound recalls the ancient ones. Think further back than the beginning of punk.
"I grew up on early punk -- Misfits, Cramps, Damned, Germs, Fear, Dwarves; all that kinda shit," says Story. "But Cancerslug is equally influenced by old religions and cult ideologies, dark poets and writers like Lovecraft and Poe, and religious texts."
You can call Cancerslug a lot of things, and people have over the years, but you've got to include "industrious" in that name-calling. Story has built a musical career that is now in its third decade. The band is planning a four-disc retrospective and more touring and Story has teamed with The Misfits' Doyle on a new album, Abominator. Like so many bands today, they've done it all without major-label backing.
"I grew up during the old tape-trade days, that was how underground music spread back then," says Story. "It's easier now. I like that it's harder for the leeches and vultures to pick the meat from the artists' bones.
"You know, I've been on my own since I was about 14. No one ever gave me shit, everything I ever got I either worked for, hustled or just took. I might not have ever had lofty goals, but every goal I ever had I have achieved," he continued. "I love hearing that bands are still just going out there and doing it, totally D.I.Y. , it takes bravery to do that.
"I knew I wasn't going to ever be rich or famous making songs with the subject matter I do, no matter if it's sarcasm, satire, subtext or sincerity. That's not why I did it, and it's not why I'm still doing it."
I shared with Cancerslug's Story my own, er, Cancerslug story, of how I traveled to San Antonio last year to catch his act live. The show was loud, sweaty and scary fun, like moshing to a midnight viewing of Evil Dead.
Afterward, a fight broke out in the parking lot, with a San Antonio thug actually punching one of our friends -- a woman -- in the face.
"The thing is, when you deal with pure emotion as an art form, you stir these extremes in people," Story relates. "Some people can handle it, some can't. In the same way that we can all read a poem or see a painting or movie and all draw different meanings based on our own personal baggage. The more abstract the art form is, the more the viewer ends up seeing more of himself than the actual art.
"So, any violence caused by individuals at our performances usually has more to do with those individuals not being able to handle the reality of true emotional release," he continues. "Similar to how Bertrand Russell said, 'A stupid man's report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.'
As an artist, my job is to do the best work I can, and my work is to harness real emotion," Story says. "It's not my problem if other people don't know what to do with those emotions."
Furthermore, Story said those isolated instances pale next to "the amount of Cancerslug fans who draw joy and hope from the kindred feeling of belonging to the very small group who understand; and, what they understand is that everyone is full of shit, myself included. Me, you, them, whoever. Human nature itself, our very survival and evolution as a species and as a society actually depended on us being full of shit."
The Slugcult shares a pack mentality at shows, and Story is the undisputed leader. He almost seems wolf-like onstage. Again, it's by design.
"I want it to be an experience, more like looking into a great storm, a force of nature, or stumbling upon an alpha predator in the wild," he says of Cancerslug's live shows. "While there may be an appreciation for the purity and majesty you are seeing, mostly there is awe or fear as you stand helpless in the gaze of death's tyranny and the rush of adrenalin as the survival instinct spikes. That is pure emotion.
"To me, great music can change the entire atmosphere and mood of a room," Story adds. "You take people to extreme highs and fathomless lows. This is our aim. It's one brief moment that you get to take off those masks you wear and shed the skins of those social robots you play to survive this life and return to your natural state, dancing around the fire, summoning the old gods, releasing your inner animal self.
"And, for one night, you will be free."
Houston Press Blog, by Jesse Sendejas Jr.
"Fetus Milkshake."
"3 Days She Bled, 3 Days I Bathed."
"In the Dumpster Behind the Clinic."
These are a few of the better-known and loved songs from Alabama underground horror-punks Cancerslug. Alex Story, the group's founder and driving force, is aware his band's music might seem offensive to some. But before you show up with picket signs or your local clergy at their next show, consider his take on what he does.
"The purpose of art is to evoke an emotional response," says Story. "It's not my place as an artist to say what your personal response should be to your observation of my work. If I have done my job right, then there will be at least one statement or image or song involved with Cancerslug that will anger, annoy or offend any given person."
"Your world offends me," he continues. "Your society offends me, the vile horrors that occur every day. So, if my words or images offend, why would I care? Those snobby, pretentious assholes that want to sit high in judgment of what they deem worthy or unworthy of praise or ridicule mean less than nothing to me. The kids that tell me that my music saved their lives are the only ones that matter to me."
Those kids exist -- collectively they're known as the "Slugcult" -- and many will be on hand when Cancerslug returns to Houston this Sunday at Eastdown Warehouse, 850 McKee.
Alex Story"I think maybe 2007 was the last time through there, although we've played through Texas a bit since then," Story says. "The only thing I really remember was (drummer) Mike leaving with some guy to get high without his phone, so we had to detective around Houston to find his ass in time to make the next show."
Cancerslug is presently a trio, with Cassie Baher on bass and Mike Horgan on drums; Story formed the band in 1999. The current tour, dubbed "Rape The Nation," is in support of the band's new release, Seasons of Sickness.
Although its catalog features more than 200 songs across nearly a dozen albums, Story says the new title is something of a first for Cancerslug.
"The main difference between Seasons of Sickness and the previous albums and demos is the production value," he explains. "We recorded with a killer engineer at Clearwave Studio in Alabama. He really captured the sound I wanted on this disk with a clarity we have never had before, but without losing our raw feel. But when it all comes down to it, it's still Cancerslug. It's pure, in-your-face rock and roll."
For the uninitiated, Cancerslug's sound recalls the ancient ones. Think further back than the beginning of punk.
"I grew up on early punk -- Misfits, Cramps, Damned, Germs, Fear, Dwarves; all that kinda shit," says Story. "But Cancerslug is equally influenced by old religions and cult ideologies, dark poets and writers like Lovecraft and Poe, and religious texts."
You can call Cancerslug a lot of things, and people have over the years, but you've got to include "industrious" in that name-calling. Story has built a musical career that is now in its third decade. The band is planning a four-disc retrospective and more touring and Story has teamed with The Misfits' Doyle on a new album, Abominator. Like so many bands today, they've done it all without major-label backing.
"I grew up during the old tape-trade days, that was how underground music spread back then," says Story. "It's easier now. I like that it's harder for the leeches and vultures to pick the meat from the artists' bones.
"You know, I've been on my own since I was about 14. No one ever gave me shit, everything I ever got I either worked for, hustled or just took. I might not have ever had lofty goals, but every goal I ever had I have achieved," he continued. "I love hearing that bands are still just going out there and doing it, totally D.I.Y. , it takes bravery to do that.
"I knew I wasn't going to ever be rich or famous making songs with the subject matter I do, no matter if it's sarcasm, satire, subtext or sincerity. That's not why I did it, and it's not why I'm still doing it."
I shared with Cancerslug's Story my own, er, Cancerslug story, of how I traveled to San Antonio last year to catch his act live. The show was loud, sweaty and scary fun, like moshing to a midnight viewing of Evil Dead.
Afterward, a fight broke out in the parking lot, with a San Antonio thug actually punching one of our friends -- a woman -- in the face.
"The thing is, when you deal with pure emotion as an art form, you stir these extremes in people," Story relates. "Some people can handle it, some can't. In the same way that we can all read a poem or see a painting or movie and all draw different meanings based on our own personal baggage. The more abstract the art form is, the more the viewer ends up seeing more of himself than the actual art.
"So, any violence caused by individuals at our performances usually has more to do with those individuals not being able to handle the reality of true emotional release," he continues. "Similar to how Bertrand Russell said, 'A stupid man's report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.'
As an artist, my job is to do the best work I can, and my work is to harness real emotion," Story says. "It's not my problem if other people don't know what to do with those emotions."
Furthermore, Story said those isolated instances pale next to "the amount of Cancerslug fans who draw joy and hope from the kindred feeling of belonging to the very small group who understand; and, what they understand is that everyone is full of shit, myself included. Me, you, them, whoever. Human nature itself, our very survival and evolution as a species and as a society actually depended on us being full of shit."
The Slugcult shares a pack mentality at shows, and Story is the undisputed leader. He almost seems wolf-like onstage. Again, it's by design.
"I want it to be an experience, more like looking into a great storm, a force of nature, or stumbling upon an alpha predator in the wild," he says of Cancerslug's live shows. "While there may be an appreciation for the purity and majesty you are seeing, mostly there is awe or fear as you stand helpless in the gaze of death's tyranny and the rush of adrenalin as the survival instinct spikes. That is pure emotion.
"To me, great music can change the entire atmosphere and mood of a room," Story adds. "You take people to extreme highs and fathomless lows. This is our aim. It's one brief moment that you get to take off those masks you wear and shed the skins of those social robots you play to survive this life and return to your natural state, dancing around the fire, summoning the old gods, releasing your inner animal self.
"And, for one night, you will be free."
Too Much Horror Business Interview
Interview with Alex Story of Cancerslug The band Cancerslug is Alex Story. Cancerslug has been around for almost 10 years now. The only constant thing has been Alex. He writes all the material and the music and has a revolving door of musicians that have helped him make Cancerslug a live band. Cancerslug just put out a new full length album called "Tales of a Butcher" and they plan to tour this summer to support it. They will finally be making their way to Cincinnati to play and before that happened I wanted interview Alex. So here it is.. Enjoy! Evil Abby - Tell us about the new album "Tales of a Butcher" word has it that it has 28 songs on it? That's a whole lot of Slug! Alex Story - It's definitely the longest CS album to date, running just over an hour - but with almost 200 songs to my credit, it still only scratches the surface of what we've done. We tried to pick a good variety of songs to put on it that represented most of the different styles that the band has done. EA - How did you guys working with the Metal Blade artists RandyButman & Jack Goodwin (Paths of Possession) and Erin Fuller (Hell on Earth) come about? How did they contribute to the new album? AS - Well, Cancerslug never had a "regular line-up". I write all the music, words and recorded most of the albums myself. Letting different friends help on recordings and tours here and there. I had a different line-up on every album and on every tour. People come and go, and sometimes come back again. I grew up with Randy in Alabama and we started out playing around the same places in different bands. We kept up with the different projects that each other did and eventually we did some shows whereCancerslug played with Paths Of Possession a few times. Paths even did a cover of "Soulless". Randy and I had talked about playing together for a long time, so we finally just did it. Jack said he was down to lay some guitar and I loved his guitar style. Erin who had played in an early version of Paths and was friends with us said he would handle the drums. It all worked out great. They really made the songs sound tight as fuck. We were all real happy with how it turned out. I think its the best representation of the band so far. EA - You also had Brian Elliot produce and record the album. He is known for working with bands like Soilent Green and Lizzy Borden. Did working with him add anything to the sound of the new album? AS - Definitely. Brian is an awesome guy. He cut us a great deal and worked his ass off to get 28 songs recoded/mixed/and mastered in under a weekend. He really understood what I was going for. He also didn't let me get lazy. I'm the king of "that'll do" hahaha. Almost every album we have done has been all 1st takes. He let meexperiment with some different vocals and get the best sound. He has a great ear and is super easy to work with. EA - So who in the band is the metal fan? Seems like you guys take a lot of influence from the metal / death metal genre but make it your own. AS - We all pretty much hate music. I think most bands suck actually. Can't listen to hardly anything. I grew up on punk and metal... sothat's the bulk of my influence. Then there are influences across genres. So when I write I add in a little blues, a little jazz, a little whatever. Its all just rock n' roll to me. I try not to let it be classified. Rock n' roll spirit with punk energy and metal orchestrations in short blasts of inspiration with a blues mans heart. EA - I remember back in 2002 I think when I wrote my paper zine and you sent me a burned cd that just had the words Cancerslug and Whore on it. I also remember having to lend that cd to more people than I could count. Since back then what accomplishments do you think you guys have achieved? AS - It's hard to say. I never really expected anything of Cancerslug. "Success" to me is just making good music, playing good shows and recording good albums. I never wanted to be a "rock star" and still don't. I've turned down record deals and opportunities that people have called me stupid for. I guess the best accomplishment is that by doing this band I have been able to travel all over and play shows with bands that I grew up being a fan of. Having my boyhood heroestell me that they loved my music. So that's pretty cool I guess. EA - Where do you see Cancerslug going in the near future? AS - I never really plan it out. I always said that once I got bored with it I would quits. But, its been 10 years and I'm still not bored hahaha! So who knows, but I'll continue to make the kind of albums that I want to hear and not worry about what anyone else wants. EA - Your songs are melodic and catchy but the lyrical content most of the times are of things that most people only witness in nightmares. Is there certain life experiences for you that tend to push the pen when you write your lyrics? AS - I think its just metaphorical analogies of things that everyone thinks, even if they don't talk about it. There is no light without shadow, there is no shadow without light. But at the same time, I like to throw hidden meanings into the songs.... That way, the listener gets whatever they come looking for. If they just want the funny "did he just say that" bullshit, then that is there, but if they look a little deeper into the lyrics we have a definite message. EA - I took 6 stitches to the face from brass knuckles at a show from a straightedge kid who couldn't take a joke about a "sensitive" word a band member I was booking said.. The show ended in a bloody full bar brawl with the cops. Have you guys ever dealt with anything of that nature due to your lyrics? AS - Whenever you are considered a "violent band" then you always get idiots who just come to show how "tough" they think they are. We have been attacked all over. The funniest part to me, is that people assumed that since we were angry and from Alabama that we must be racist, KKK or something. So we had his huge skinhead following for a second. Until they would come to the show and see that we had a black drummer or an Iranian girl playing bass or anIndian guy on guitar or something and be all bummed out hahahaha! I love to disappoint peoples perceptions. I've come away from more than a few shows bloody and bruised up. No one has ever stopped us and usually people find out the hard way that we bite back. So do our fans EA - You guys are well accepted amongst the "horror punk" community is this something that you embrace? AS - I hate labels on any kind of art. It's all rock n' roll to me. I liked the Danzig bands (Misfits, Samhain, Danzig) The Damned, Bauhaus, The Cramps and shit like that. Those bands were obviously an influence on my music. Most of the bands that people consider "horror punk" I just don't like. Music is a personal journey, so if that works for you great, its just not my cup of tea. I think the make-up and bullshit is out-dated and stupid at this point in time. Most of them can't write for shit. I mean OK, just cause you can play a chord and say boo! Doesn't mean you should paint a skull face and start a band. I mean, if you like "spooky pumpkin patches" and "ghosts and bats" and "the boogeyman" then whatever. To me those bands are more like R.L. Stine's Goosebumps or some kiddie bullshit. I prefer real life horror. EA - There are crazy stories about Cancerslug shows. Things about you bleeding and everyone thrashing each other. Are the stories true? AS - We have had some legendary shows. Only one way to find out - come to a show. I can say this, even people that HATE us... always enjoy the show. EA - What is the craziest show you guys have ever played? AS - Really hard to say. There have been many for many different reasons. I have personal favorites but then someone will remind me of something really fucked up and I'll be like "Oh shit, I forgot all about that!" hahaha. When the band is at its best the shows usuallyde-evolve into madness. People in the crowd (normal people) usually end up doing things they normally would not. It becomes almost a religious experience with blood the sacrament. EA - If you could play with any bands on one bill alive or dead who would it be? AS - The Doors with Jim. Black Sabbath on their first tour. The Germs final show. The Cramps touring Bad Music for Bad People. The Misfits 1982. Fear 1982. Black Flag 1982. EA - What are your influences musically? AS - I grew up on late 70's early 80's punk and 80's thrash metal. There is a little of everything. All the Danzig bands (Misfits,Samhain, Danzig) Bauhaus, The Damned, The Cramps, The Doors, Slayer, Metallica, Fear, Black Flag, Black Sabbath, Kinghorse, At The Gates, Neurosis, Rasputina, Morrissey, Dax Riggs, Jucifer - too much shit to name hahaha. EA - So, summer tour? Where all are you going? AS - Still plotting it all out now. We may have to do it in small 2 week at a time deals, breaking the shows up here and there. But we are gonna try to hit most of the country. EA - Come rock and party with the SlugCult of Cincinnati?? AS - We'll be there and it'll be sick. --------- Big thanks to Alex for the interview. I owe him beers when they play here! Make sure you check back here for updates on the exact dateCancerslug will be coming through. As soon as they figure it out, I will get it booked. Also make sure to check out the links below and get a copy of the new album on Drink Blood Records called Tales of a Butcher. Slug Cult Rise! -Abby DIY Music Interview
Interview with Alex Story, singer for the infamous 'Cancerslug.' The most different band in the land....being from Alabama should be your clue. Classify them if you can! skunk- on the upcoming tour, are there any new stops you have been looking forward to? alex story- im just excited to be on the road again - we treat every show the same.. no matter the crowd size or location skunk- what are some of the bands that you would like to see on the bill with you? Alex- anybody that represents the true nature of rock n roll... that is to say, bands that dont give a fuck what people think and dont try to fit into a specific groove skunk- how is the label coming along with new bands that you are in search of? alex- slow, but it will be quality - working with a band called "the stripperkillers" and getting together a CS side project called "clitrot" few others... it will all come together soon but cancerslug is the priority skunk- your band is not politicial, your views on the war? alex- its all bullshit... but its nothing new - the rich will do what they can to aquire more wealth - do i feel bad about the "innocent" lives lost.. fuck no.. i could give a fuck... on either side its not my war... not my governements... im just a fucking animal... i look for food where i can get it... and watch my own fucking back... but the natural law dictates that we kill each other to thin the herd... so fuck it skunk- do you vote? alex- no, when i was in grade school they taught me how the electoral collage worked and that no vote actually counts for anything... and both parties seem to just be two heads on the same snake... so fuck that... i could give a fuck skunk- how long has the carnage of cancerslug been brewing? other words, how long did it take to get everything right before bringing the bastard's child, Cancerslug, into the public? alex- i played in several bands through the 90's.... was always writing my own shit... thought it would piss alot of people off if i did a band like cancerslug... and it did skunk- i heard the bassists is known to deliever a groin kick here and there, is that true?lol alex- we get a little rowdy at shows.... sometimes people wanna prove what badasses they are... some times they are mistaken... they fuck with us... they get fucked skunk- what's been in your cd/tape/lp player lately? alex- the new neurosis album, the new dwarves album, rasputina's last disk.... other than that the same ol shit i grew up on skunk- your opinion of the 3 best albums of all time? alex- misfits - walk among us rasputina - thanks for the ether fear - the record skunk- any new merch. we should be on the look ouot for? such as t shirts? or should we just DIY it? alex- we will always have shit to sell at shows... but we encourage kids to make their own shit... burn their own disks... pass shit out... give shit away.. spread the disease on their own.. we dont make a fucking dime off this band .... it ends up costing us money to do it... we record, tour, and run the website out of our own pockets and with help from friends like rob at ravenous media..... but if we can open peoples eyes to how fucked they are, and get them to return to the primitive state we belong in... if we can piss off enough people, then its all worth it fuck it all, i have fun with it anyway |
Technicolor Terror Interview
By Spirits Unclean: An interview with Alex Story Alex Story is one man you really don’t want to fuck with. After releasing countless records through Cancerslug, Alexinash and fronting the crushing ‘super group’ Gorgeous Frankenstein alongside ex-Misfits Doyle Wolfgang Frankenstein and Dr. CHUD is at it again with his latest outlet ‘The Ultra Creeps.’ his already impressive discography itself takes up a huge portion of my ipod. So, what follows is by far one of the best interviews with one of the most humble and well respected vocalists around today. What inspired you to originally form a band like Cancerslug? Hatred for music and people. What is it about horror and its imagery that attracted you to it? Life is horror… from the birth process to the death process it is blood and pain and the excitement found in both. You’ve been actively working on Cancerslug now since 1999 and have since become on of the most prolific musicians on the ‘horror’ punk circuit, releasing numerous albums a year and most of which are without a set band. Was this something you intentionally set about from the get-go or did it just come as a natural progression of revolving members? Honestly i just never had a regular set of members or even a home base, I move around so much. I get bored if i stay in one place to long but I’m always writing songs and over the years many of my friends and fellow musicians have done shows and albums with me because they believe in the work I’m doing. I’ve been fortunate enough to have many great musicians see merit in the material and want to participate in the cult. I’ve tried to go back and count how many releases you have under your belt both with Cancerslug and your other side projects but always draw a blank as most discographies are incomplete or none existent. So I feel it’s best if it were to come from the horses’ mouth. To this date, how many records have you release? I kinda like people being unsure about how many releases demo or otherwise have been released. I think it would be cool if after I’m dead some kid that was into my shit just constantly kept digging up random rare and unreleased material. That’s what was great about being into obscure music pre-internet, I remember driving to other states to dig up rare bootlegs of my favorite bands back in the day so all I can say is there is A LOT of material out there and there will be A LOT more before I’m done. The good the bad and the ugly it all paints one big picture together Of all of those which is the one that stands out the most in your mind and why? I’m always happiest with whatever new album I’m working on and I don’t just say that to sell the current project. It’s just that, at any given time, that’s where my head is and so the most current disk usually reflects the current state of the movement my personal war and your only as good as your last battle You’ve said in interviews before that 2009’s “Tales of a Butcher” is Cancerslug’s proper debut. What is it about that particular record that sets it apart from everything else you’ve done in the past? It was the first one released officially in stores, every other album was pretty much a demo given away for free online even though there were lots of bootlegs sold in stores, butcher was the first official release from the band and the only reason that it wasn’t given away for free was because it took a lot of money to make that album happen and to get all those great musicians together in one place at one time. It could have only happened with label support and so we called on our friends at drink blood records, those guys spent money to make that album happen and worked hard to promote it, so I wanted to make sure they got a return on their investment. They will also be releasing our newest album “BY SPIRITS UNCLEAN” on an even wider scale, so this album will pretty much be our second official release even though we have countless demo albums out there, this new material needs to be properly distributed because it is the strongest most spiritual album to date Cancerslug has been hailed as one of the vilest bands in America by Rue Morgue Magazine, much like the punk rock equivalent of Cannibal Corpse. From what part of you do such vile and horrific things come from? Where does the real Alex Story end and the lyrical one begin? The art is always a representation of the artist, most of it is very personal, some is not literal, however some is. It’s not up to me to explain where I fit in, it is up to the listener to figure out where they fit in or if they even do fit in. This is more than a band, the slug cult is rising and people will see what we do. Has any of your lyrics ever struck a nerve with friends, family or loved ones? I should hope so as well as with total strangers otherwise I would be full of shit You align yourself with the concept of wolves and the werewolf with such themes revalent in many of your songs (Shapeshift, Rise of the Wolf, winter and lone wolf) what is it about this that attracts you to it? As men we suppress our true natures, the animals inside but pushed far enough and the beast will come out. Our true skin will break through, fists to claw, tooth to fang. We are all capable of metamorphosis in our own way most people are just too scared to give in to their primal side but it can be a great strength to pull from. The vast majority of your music is released freely online. While I’m sure this has helped you reach a wider audience, it must be difficult financially. How has this (if any) effected your ability to tour or release merchandise and that sort of thing? I’ve never made money off the band, it costs me money to do it. Tours pretty much pay for themselves and keep us alive but i don’t do it to be rich or famous otherwise I wouldn’t make the kind of music I make and I wouldn’t give away the demos in whatever form of completion. This is like religion to me more than entertainment. This is something you can’t put into words. I’m not so one dimensional that I would say “music is my life” but it is a very important part of who I am and what I am trying to do is use my art to get people (even if only a select few) to see things from a different perspective. When will we be seeing the follow up to ‘Decade of Decay’? If you mean phase 2… then never….. originally I had planned on doing a two part album to celebrate the first ten years of Cancerslug… D.O.D. phase one was just the rough demos for the album and I was going to do a proper studio version for phase 2 but I have a short attention span and I kept writing new material, so what started out as one kind of album has now grown out of control into its own thing and no longer has any connection to those demos so we will be releasing a completely stand alone album now called “BY SPIRITS UNCLEAN” we record next month. You’ve become sort of a cult icon in the underground. How’s that feel for someone who really seems to stray away from the spotlight? I never wanted to be like a “rock star” or whatever, That’s why I call my solo stuff “Cancerslug” not “Alex Story.” Its just about the art but I’m glad that a lot of people all over the world seem to get it and it has allowed me to meet and work with a lot of artists that I grew up respecting. I honestly just want to do good work, it’s all about the end result to me Recently George “Corpsegrinder” of Cannibal Corpse give Cancerslug a huge shout out in a recent interview with Burning Angel, how does that feel? George is a really awesome guy. I’ve been lucky enough to hang out with him several times now and don’t think I would be overstepping bounds to call him a friend. It’s always good when someone you respect tells you they like your work. As of lately you’ve been serving as the vocalist for Gorgeous Frankenstein alongside Left Hand Graham and former Misfits, Dr. CHUD and Doyle Wolfgang Frankenstein. How did all of this come about? Who approached who? I grew up with a total love for the Misfits. They were the first band a really became a “fan” of as a kid and Doyle was the reason i started playing guitar. I loved the brutality and “don’t give a fuck” kind of approach he took to music. Those old bootleg videos and magazines I grew up on really made me respect him as an artist and performer. He had a clear vision for what he wanted his band to be but as it was his first band to put t ogether on his own, it took him a while to make it exactly what he wanted to be. The riffs and playing were there, he was just looking for a way to make the rest just as brutal. I think he is one of the most underrated people in the biz, he is the strongest rhythm guitarist ever in my opinion and just needed a little help with lyrics and focusing his ideas into what he was trying to do. ‘Seems he wanted to bring that old school “Misfits – Earth AD” or “Damaged – Black Flag” aggression with a thrash metal quality of modern heaviness. He liked my Cancerslug stuff and so he asked me if I would help him write some songs. We spent like a year and a half just writing together and came up with some really amazing stuff but then he told me; ” no one can sing this stuff like you, and we all want you to do it” so I said I would sing for his band as well. Now I think we have one of the strongest live acts around and we are just starting to record the first of several albums that we will release back to back to show just how brutal this band should have been from the start. I think its really going to blow people away. Lately demos of the songs “Made in Hell,” and “Man or Monster” have been surfacing online both of which appeared on GF’s debut record. Will these songs eventually be rerecorded on the next record? We have two full length albums planned first but then we are going to re-work the first album with the full band – just for the fans who have asked for us to do it * Among those what other songs will be/have been rerecorded because as I remember in older interviews when Goolsby still handled vocals, they discussed the possibility of redoing the first record with the then current lineup. Is this still a possibility? I’ve got demos of every song with me singing and demos with Doyle singing believe it or not but we wont put any of those out. The ones that leaked were just a few old tracks that fell through the cracks somehow. Like I said we will release that album redone with the full band after the two albums of all new material Fans of the band are well familiar with some of the new tracks: “Headhunter,” “When I Dream, I Dream of Dead Girls,” “Mark of the Beast,” and “Dark Gods Arise.” Can you give us a hint in regards to the songs that will be making their way onto the record? I don’t wanna give away too much now. On the last tour we did, we played a different set of all new songs every night to see wich ones we enjoyed playing live the most. The ones we liked the most will be recorded along with a bunch of songs that NO ONE has ever heard. It’s great material and everyone in the band has been pushing themselves to do the best work they have ever done. We really want to make it something new and special. With all the new songs / bootleg videos that have been popping up on you tube one of which was a track entitled “Land of the Dead,’ was this done as an intentional stab at Jerry Only of the Misfits (and Doyle’s brother) or was it just a coincidence? We have been working on songs for years now, we had that song called “Land of the Dead” long before Jerry put out his. His just came out first, maybe it was coincidence. Although we did have another song called “The Devils Rain” on our set list at the shop and now I hear Jerry is calling his album “The Devils Rain.” I thought that was funny but I don’t know… maybe he is just fucking with Doyle or maybe its just a coincidence. Doesn’t really matter… We are not trying to compete with what those guys are doing, we are just trying to make a couple of great albums and give the fans a killer fucking live band What’s the recording process been like for the new record? What’s done? Waits still needs to be done? Since many of us have been waiting impatiently since you were announced as the new vocalist, can you give us an idea when the record will drop? Doyle and CHUD have been working for several months building their own studio. Glenn gave Doyle the go ahead to produce the new album himself so this will be totally Doyle’s vision. We are taking our time on it because we want it to come out sounding exactly how it needs to but we are rolling now and we have a shit ton of awesome demos to choose from and i can tell you the sound is amazing… its just soooo fucking heavy, so fucking aggressive. I love it and I love being a part of it. How has it been working with someone as iconic as Doyle? He is really one of the best people I’ve ever worked with. It’s like he was totally my hero growing up and now I consider him to be one of my best friends, so that’s pretty awesome. I just want to do my part to make his band as great as I always knew it could be because I think he deserves it he’s really a great guy. The Danzig influence in your sound is undeniable, what was it like not only playing your first show with Gorgeous Frankenstein but also opening for Danzig? Well of course Danzig is my biggest influence, he is my favorite artist all together and he taught Doyle to play guitar. Doyle grew up with him so of course there will be an influence in the sound but I also think we really have our own thing going too. It’s funny because ever since I started doing music two of my biggest goals were to play with Doyle and to do a tour with Danzig by joining this band I’ve accomplished both of those goals. It’s awesome. Aside from Gorgeous Frankenstein, you’ve recently started yet another band called “The Ultra Creeps” what can we expect from the Ultra Creeps and what are your motives behind this new band? M and the girls (Cassie and Helen) have just been having a lot of fun… trying to do something different. Its just like really dark concepts but put together in a really fun sort of way. It allows me to explore other sound textures that wouldn’t fit in my other bands but the overall effect is just as dark just with softer, more feminine quality that can be, in some ways even more sinister. What can we expect from the Ultra Creeps in the future? Al lot I hope. I really enjoy the project and love working with the girls, so hopefully a full length album and tour will happen soon. What can we expect from YOU in the future? The unexpected. In closing, I want to thank you for your time and for doing this interview and ask if there is any shout outs, thanks, threats or slander you want to give? Just to say: love us our hate us, just make your OWN opinions and don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks. |