THE BR00TAL TR00TH - HENRY ROLLINS

That’s right- HENRY ROLLINS. And yes, he’s still angry. Fortunately he wasn’t too angry to take some time from his VERY busy schedule to answer a few questions for Reign in Blonde. I’ll be at his performance at The Westcott in Syracuse on the 27th, but perhaps you see him when he comes to your town. Or don’t go, cause it ain’t gonna hurt his feelings. Here’s what the legend had to say:

Do you ever read the comments on your Vanity Fair articles?  Or do you try to keep away from internet trolls?

I have not read them. I send them writing now and then. Whatever anyone posts about what I post is protected speech and long may it wave.

Do you have any thoughts on Andrew W.K., who also started in music and now does motivational speaking?

I don’t know anything about the guy really. I have heard some of songs of his many years ago but don’t know anything about him. 

How is performing for our troops different from performing in front of regular civilians?

It’s not. They are cool and happy to have something different in front of them than the usual. 

How do you define patriotism? Is there anyone in the hard rock/metal community that fits your definition? If not, who are some people that fit your qualifications?

For me, patriotism is abiding by the Constitution as best you understand that and looking out for your fellow Americans. I don’t know who does that, I don’t look at people that way. I don’t like calling someone’s patiotism into question unless they do mine. When they do, I am more than happy to analyze theirs. I don’t like Ms. Palin excluding me from what being a “real American” {is} but it’s for her to say, it is protected speech under the First Amendment of the Constitution. 

While many artists, rock and otherwise, write lyrics about their dissatisfaction with the US government and our military industrial complex, it seems to me that more often than not, it’s all lot of talk and very little action. Do you agree? How have you managed to break this mold?

Who says I have? What is a mere mortal to do against a multibillion dollar industry? If good songs could stop wars, Dylan and Marley would have stopped them. 

Peanut butter: Crunchy or creamy?

Crunchy

-Julia

THE BR00TAL TR00TH - CARLOS

Well, we don’t always interview people we actually like here at RiB.  Check out this asshole: Carlos Ramirez.  You can’t escape him…he’s everywhere.  Carlos does marketing for Universal Music Group, and he writes for pretty much every music website you’ll ever read including Noisecreep, Bullz-Eye, SMN, and The Gauntlet.  And would ya look at that…now he’s on here.  Mr. “Famewhore” chewed our friggin’ ears off about his rockin’ 80’s childhood, giving Anvil the big thumbs down, as well as his immense love for top 10 lists.  What a douchebag, eh? <3

Give us the brief rundown of how you went from cradle to music writer extraordinaire?

First off, thanks for letting me be part of your great blog. Everything from the name of it to the funny posts makes Reign In Blonde one of my favorite sites to check out daily. My gateway to a life of music geekdom was KISS. I remember being at my neighbor Steven’s apartment because his mom was babysitting me and his older sister had Double Platinum from KISS. I’m almost 35 years old so this was probably 1979 or so. I was just captivated by the way the band looked. I really thought they looked like that 24-7. It was only a few years later when I started reading magazines like Creem, Circus and Metal Edge that I learned that Gene and Paul were from Queens. Since I was born and raised there, this revelation made me very excited…haha!

In high school I put a zine together called Extremities that focused on underground death metal. At that point I was really into tape trading and all of that so I had some good contacts throughout the world. For one piece I interviewed Dave Witte when he was in the godly Human Remains. Little did I know I would be in a band with him (Black Army Jacket) 6-7 years later! So I did that zine and then wrote for the music section of my school paper in Queens College but then I just stopped around 1995 or so.

I moved out to Los Angeles around 4 years ago and I got back into the behind-the-scenes side of the music business. In my spare time I wanted to get back into the writing so I reached out to some of my old contacts and started doing stuff here and there. What really started getting me other writing gigs were these top 10 lists I was doing for IGN.com. Whenever you write one of those, people get really pissed off. But I love doing them and now I write them for Noisecreep.com. My “real job” is at Universal Music Group on the marketing side of things so my life is music through and through.

What did you want to be as a kid?

I wanted to be a bassist in a popular rock band. I wanted fantasize that I was on stage at Nassau Coliseum and doing interviews with Kerrang Magazine. The thing I couldn’t get straight was what kind of band it would be. Sometimes I would imagine it being a Bay Area styled thrash band but it would often be something more along the lines of Dokken.

Does it get frustrating to be confused with 4324698 other Carlos Ramirez’s?

I grew up in a neighborhood called Elmhurst which is in Queens. It was a few blocks from another hood called Jackson Heights. In the ‘80s both areas were mostly made up of Colombian immigrants. My dad was born in Colombia and guess what his name is….yep! Anyway, I remember one time I looked in a local phonebook and there had to have been over 100 people with my name! My wife said there’s no way in Hell that we’ll name our kid Carlos…haha!

So you like Top 10 lists? Top 10 blonde metalheads, GO!

I’m assuming you mean musicians and not who I think is hot or anything. Based on that I will say:

-David Vincent of Morbid Angel (circa 1991)

-Jeff Hanneman of Slayer (circa 1990)

-Snowy Shaw of King Diamond’s band (circa 1990)

-Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe (circa 1982)

-Warrel Dane of Nevermore and Sanctuary (circa 1989)

-Udo Dirkschneider of Accept (circa 1983)

-James Hetfield of Metallica (circa 1984)

-Michael Schenker of Scorpions, UFO and MSG (circa 1979)

-Frank Mullen of Suffocation (circa 1991)

-Julia and Elise of Reign In Blonde (circa forever)

How often do you have to write about bands that you have no interest in? How much does that suck?

In the past I never did this but lately it’s happened a few times. I don’t sweat it too much because in the end, I like helping out my fellow marketing and publicity contacts. Plus Seth at Noisecreep knows he can rely on me for a quick turnaround on a piece so he’ll pitch me stuff sometimes that he knows I probably don’t love. Luckily I love a lot of different kinds of genres so that makes it easier.

So…do you like STRYPER, or something?

I do! I’m actually going to see them live next month. Their image was definitely cartoonish in the ‘80s but they always wrote quality hard-rock and metal songs. Did they have some duds? You bet they did! But I enjoy a lot of their discography. You are probably laughing at me as you read this! Let me just say that there are tons of other bands that I love that would rank lower on the metal cool scale. Don’t even get me started on personal heavy metal favorites like Kik Tracee, Leatherwolf, Lizzy Borden, Icon, Ripping Corpse, and Savatage!

Who is your favorite Muppet?

I loved the 2 old guys who would sit in the balcony and just complain about the show. Those dudes were angrier and more in need of a good lay than the people who leave comments on Lamboat.com and Blabbermouth.net put together!

Did Baroness’ Blue Record outdo the Red Album?

I think it might have. It took repeated listens of the new album for me to really get it. For what they are trying to do musically I think they nailed it. It’s got a great vibe to it and the guitar tone is superb. Too bad so many douchebag hipsters in Silver Lake and Williamsburg like them. I won’t hold it against the band though :)

Best and worst albums of 2009 thus far?

The Scar Symmetry album disappointed me since I loved their last one so much. I was expecting this new one to be their Soul of a New Machine meets Slippery When Wet opus but it left me a bit cold. Hopefully it grows on me. I loved the Séance comeback album that Pulverised Records put out and Alice In Chains’ record was a pleasant surprise. The upcoming 3 album is a monster! The KISS album is solid throughout. In terms of album of the year, I don’t know yet but the Megadeth album is fucking great!

Whatcha drinkin’?

My weapon of choice is Jack and Coke. In terms of beers I prefer Boddington’s, Guinness, and Heineken.

It’s almost Halloween. What songs get you in the mood?

I’m actually working on a list for Noisecreep.com about this so you’ll have to tune in later :)

What’s so great about Anvil, anyway?

You have good timing! I posted this as a status update on my Facebook profile last night:

“Dear metal people, please get off the Anvil bandwagon. I grew up with a lot of fellow metalheads and NONE of us liked them. The movie is great and all that but let’s not make believe they are the second coming of Celtic Frost or something.”

Yeah, so I’m not fan of their music. I’m sure there are some people who know me who would say, “How can you say you don’t like Anvil and then turn around and love crap bands like Tora Tora and Royal Hunt?”

Who was your favorite contestant on American Idol last season?

Allison Iraheta should have easily won that shit! She’s got a great raspy quality to her delivery. They should try to do the whole Butch Walker styled bubblegum pop-punk along with some ‘80s inspired arena rock shit thing with her. If I was A&Ring her album I would have her recording songs by Butch, Desmond Child, Max Martin, Jim Vallance, Holly Knight, and my friend Jamie Woolford from The Stereo and Let Go fame. [Editor’s note: Elise agrees, and says Danny Gokey can suck it.]

My wife actually works in development at Fremantle Media and they own American Idol. Being the teenage girl that I am, we go to every finale.

On a scale from 1-10, how hot is that chick, Davey Havok?

I worked with a girl at my last job that is obsessed with him and we would always tease her about him being into guys. I don’t think he holds a candle to CC Deville on the cover to the first Poison album. I remember having to do a double-take when that record came out!

Who else in the metal community do you think we should grill?

In terms of writers I would say Finn from MetalInquisition.com, Ian Christie, Jason from TheGauntlet.com, and J. Bennet from Decibel Magazine. I think you should also do some stuff with the cool label people. I would nominate Vince from Metal Blade, Jeremy Rosen from Roadrunner, Loana from Nuclear Blast, and Betsey from Relapse Records.

If you are a metal musician, blogger, photographer, DJ/VJ, roadie, merch dude, etc. (GUY OR GAL!), and would like to get probed by two cool chicks, please send us an email at: reigninblonde@gmail.com.

THE BR00TAL TR00TH - KIM

[photo by Elizabeth Bruneau]

What could possibly be better than two blonde chicks writing a metal blog?  Bringing a third one in to join in on the fun, of course.  Ladies and gentlemen:  the one, the only, ‘Grim’ Kim Kelly is in the building to weigh in on life overseas, her seldom-seen girly side, and her amazingly br00tal, yet tiresome schedule.  Check her out at Terrorizer, Hails and Horns, Noisecreep, Metal Injection, MetalSucks, and about 1093596 other places, too.  How she managed to squeeze us in, we’ll never know.

How many different places have you lived over the years?

At this point, four. I was born and raised in a tiny South Jersey town smack dab in the middle of a nature preserve; that’s right, in the fucking FOREST - I’ve been practicing my Immortal impression since I was barely old enough to croak. It’s called Chatsworth, NJ, and by some bizarre coincidence, is also where Pitchfork/Show No Mercy/my buddy Brandon Stosuy grew up! We had a total “whooooa” moment about this when we realized that not one but TWO black metal nerds had managed to escape from that backwoods redneck stronghold. I moved to Philadelphia for college, spent a summer in Brooklyn, went back to Illadeph, then landed in North London about six months ago. I’m back on the East Coast in September for my last year of school, and who knows after that! I’ve got my sights set on NYC, New Orleans, and London, but knowing me, I’ll end up in a cave in Kuala Lumpur with the guy from Striborg. 

When did your grimness first manifest itself?

I’d pinpoint the first time I heard Bathory’s Under the Sign of the Black Mark as the exact moment that I realized that I was never going to be a respectable member of society. I was about 16 or so, and had just gotten my first Emperor record a week or so before (which was Emperial Live Ceremony, randomly enough). Those first windswept seconds of “Nocturnal Obeisance” and ensuing filthy black genius heralded the beginning of a lifelong love affair with all things ugly, raw, and underproduced. The rest of my high school career was spent worshipping bands like Horna, Satanic Warmaster, Vlad Tepes, Tsjuder, Moonblood, Beherit, and the like, and I’ve only gotten worse!

What metal-related things are you working on right now?

I’m currently writing for Terrorizer, Hails & Horns, Noisecreep, Metal Injection, Pure Grain Audio, and the exhumed web version of Metal Maniacs, as well as contributing occasional guest columns to Metal Sucks and Metalasfuck. I also own and operate a PR company called Catharsis PR that represents a variety of extreme metal artists and labels, including Cormorant, Blood of the Tyrant, Noctis Imperium,  Litany for the Whale, and Give Praise Records. When I’m in the US, I book doom/black metal gigs in PA/NYC, and also DJ a specialty extreme metal show on WKDU 91.7fm called Dawn of the Apocalypse every Weds. 5-7pm. I love to DJ, and have done so at various events and clubs in Philly/NYC. My newest project is a specialty vinyl label called Saturnine Media, though which I’ll be releasing the vinyl version of Cormorant’s Metazoa album later this year. No rest for the wicked, right?

Does metal ‘journalism’ really even exist anymore?

It’s hard to say, though I like to think it does. For all the freeloading syncopants and know-nothing egoists infesting the metal media, there are still a handful of true believers who genuinely do care enough about this music and about our scene to be honest, fair, and knowledgeable and to stay true to their principles, who remember what it was like to be “just” a fan, before the free CDs and guest list spots started rolling in. The ones that remember that it is a PRIVILEGE and not a right to be given the opportunity to spend time talking to people whose work you respect and writing something meaningful about this music that means everything to millions of people across the globe. The ones that remember that their purpose is to strengthen our scene, not divide it or water it down. Over the years, I’ve met some incredibly inspiring people as well as some absolute scum; metal journalism exists, it’s just been rendered nearly extinct. As long as there are people who really care, though, we’ll be alright. 

Any quality interview stories from over the years?

The first time I interviewed Eric from Watain, I got to hear him dead seriously tell me that his band aimed to “set the world on fire,” after which I almost got thrown out of the gig for being underage (but finagled my way back in anyway). There was the time I interviewed Shagrath and he spent the whole time blowing cigar smoke in my face…or the time I flew to Antwerp to hang out with Amebix and stayed up ‘til 4am hunting for Belgian fries with Rob and Roy…or the time I took Municipal Waste record shopping and ended up getting my palm read with Tony Foresta…or the time I interviewed Corpsegrinder and spent a half hour talking about George Lucas…or the time my recorder broke mid-interview while I was talking to Ihsahn and he graciously volunteered to speak very, verrry slowly so I could write down every word he said (total class act, that guy)…every interview’s a story, some better than others. Word of advice to bands everywhere: if you’re being interviewed, don’t be a dick to the journalist or we WILL call you out on it later. 

What is you drink of choice?

Dixie Whiskey, of course.

What is your favorite thing to order when eating Indian?

Tandoori chicken, pilau rice, plain naan - my tastes aren’t exactly what one would call “adventurous,” but goddamn do I love me some curry.

How much weight can you bench?

I used to be able to do like 150, but have sadly become way less burly now that I’m not lifting with football players and throwing shotput anymore (not that 150’s that impressive anyway, but fuck you, I’m a girl). I’ve retained my gnarly right hook, though; a delicate flower, I am not.

Who are the hottest men in metal?

Ben Falgoust, hands down. The things I’d do to that man…also, my heart skips a beat every time King ov Hell, Aaron Deal from Salome, Hoest from Taake, Dolk of Kampfar and Alex from Necrophobic take the stage. Southern boys and Scandinavians, basically. Yowza!

What are the three best concerts you’ve ever been to?

Angelcorpse, Watain, Nachtmystium, March into the Sea on the Antichrist Vanguard tour at the Northstar Bar in Philadelphia, 2007. Eyehategod with Crowbar in New Orleans - 20th anniversary gig, 2008. Enslaved “True Norwegian Black Metal” tribute set with Nocturno Culto, LG Petrov, and Attila Csihar at Hole in the Sky fest in Bergen, Norway 2009. *Tied honorable mention: Wolves in the Throne Room with Witchcraft in Brooklyn, 2007 and Agalloch and Dornenreich at the Underworld in London, 2009.

What one band have you seen live the most times?

Either Goatwhore or Nachtmystium - I’ve known the guys in both bands for a few years now, and since they both tour like motherfuckers, I can’t help but see them every few months or so. I’m totally okay with it, though, ‘cause they both rule hard!

What one band would you like to have exterminated?

Four-way tie between Whitechapel, Iwrestledabearonce, Abigail Williams, and In This Moment - to call them an ‘abomination’ is an insult to abominations everywhere. 

CONFESS! What is Grim Kim’s favorite chick flick?

Ten Things I Hate About You! I love chick flicks. I’m a gigantic pussy, honestly.

Always important…baldies or beardos? How hairy are the men in your life?

BEARDS! Long hair and untamed facial hair are the way to go. The thought of hairwhipping side by side with my boo makes me weak in the knees. I just can’t get down with a shorthair - it  feels wrong. If you’ve got hair longer than mine, you’re in; if your hair’s on the short side but you’ve got a flowing beard or are rocking a Grutle-esque chin shrub, we might be able to work something out. 

Who’s better? US metalheads or UK metalheads?

Metalheads are the same everywhere, really, though the ones inhabiting metal-starved areas are of course more appreciative and/or fanatical about the bands they love. UK metalheads are spoiled compared to their US brethren, what with their close proximity to the continent, easy access to festivals like Bloodstock and Supersonic, and the quality of bands that pass through Blighty, but that should just be an incentive for more Americans to travel overseas for gigs! Europe really isn’t that far away, I promise.

Chunky or smooth?

Smooth, baby.

Who else in the metal community do you think we should grill?

Liz Ciavarella-Brenner - not only has she been a part of the scene for decades and a past editor of Metal Maniacs, she co-runs Earsplit PR, writes for a million awesome metal mags, and is the sweetest, smartest, most unspeakably rad metal lady ever. Also, Jill Mikkelson from Terrorizer Magazine- she’s the most badass Canadian you’ll ever meet, and her love for Tony Choy and weedly weedly riffs is nothing short of legendary.

If you are a metal musician, blogger, photographer, DJ/VJ, roadie, merch dude, etc. (GUYOR GAL!), and would like to get probed by two cool chicks, please send us an email at: reigninblonde@gmail.com.

THE BR00TAL TR00TH - GARY

Get ya hot nuts, here!  It’s time for yet another installment of THE BR00TAL TR00TH, and boy did we get it this time.  Today, we have zeroed in on MetalSucks’ spring chicken Gary Suarez, to hash over true party music, his “favorite” albums of this century, as well as his impeccable sense of fashion.  Check out his posts on MetalSucks.  Follow him on Twitter.  Go read some other shit he’s done.  This too.  Go to his DJ gig for Precious Metal this Monday at Lit Lounge.  Bake him a pie.  Oh hell, just go stalk him.  We sure are.

We heard you recently shaved off your beard.  Couldn’t take the heat?  Do you miss it?

Beard maintenance is a saggy-titted bitch.  I barely have the time to wake up every day, tweet about my breakfast, skim a couple hundred blogs, tweet about my lunch, practice the ancient art of pantomime, watch Judd Apatow movies, tweet about my dinner, and kill a hobo.  You tell me when I’m supposed to pencil in a trim?  I do miss it, though, because now I actually have to look at my face in the bathroom mirror when I’m brushing my teeth at Starbucks.

Tell us about your college radio experience.  Would you consider it a dying art?

Back when I went to college forty-or-so years ago, I was way too busy getting my swerve on with all the fine ladies on campus to take part in any school activity that required a commitment.  So I chose radio, which basically took two hours of my time on a weeknight.  The show was mainly industrial music, because that was my thing at the time, but I played whatever I felt like.  Nobody was listening anyway. Seriously, when was the last time anyone listened to the radio?

Describe to us how warm and snuggly Andrew W.K. makes you feel.

He doesn’t make me feel warm and/or snuggly.  He makes me feel party.  And I don’t care if that’s grammatically correct or not.  The fact is that ‘I Get Wet’ is one of the greatest albums ever made, and anyone who disagrees with this fact has gonorrhea.

Who is your most obscure musical deity?

David Ruffin.  He’s not obscure to R&B fans, because he was the lead singer for The Fucking Temptations, but most metalheads probably don’t have a clue who he was because most metalheads are sad little virgins and fail to realize that R&B is all about the sex they could be having if they stopped listen to songs about white dudes being angry at the world.  Actually, I’m going to start a singing group called The Fucking Temptations.  Patent pending.

Who is the most overrated person in metal?

Taylor Swift.

Which of your Ed Hardy t-shirts is your favorite?

It’s ridiculous that people think they’re better than Ed Hardy shirts.  Especially metalheads, who have about as much fashion sense as a ham sandwich.  There was a post on the Stuff White People Like blog about how honkies love to rag on Ed Hardy, and it summed up all my feelings about this.  Christian Audiger deserves credit for being a successful entrepreneur, though his recent brand extensions into things like energy drinks are pretty fucking ridiculous.  He should stick with clothing.  For the record, I own one Ed Hardy shirt.  It doesn’t have rhinestones or anything gaudy like that, but it has a classic eagle tattoo which is pretty cool.  There’s a sister line called Smet, which I like a whole lot more.  You may have seen Smet stuff on Rock Of Love, because Audiger clearly donates clothes to the producers behind these VH1 shows.  Oh, and Affliction sucks.  So does MMA.  Boxing, however, is awesome.

Are you jizzing your pants over the new Behemoth album like everyone else?

No, because that’s absolutely not my thing.  I listen to loads of music, and when it comes to the heavy stuff I lean more towards noise rock, sludge/stoner metal, and post-hardcore.  I often feel like the odd man out at MetalSucks when I read the comments section, but Axl and Vince are really enthusiastic and supportive, which is great considering I’ve been peeing in their orange juice for months now. Those dudes seriously must love my pee because they drink a lot of O.J.

How big is your dude crush on Jamey Jasta?

I’m not a big Hatebreed fan, but I absolutely fucking loved Kingdom Of Sorrow.  Kirk Windstein is fucking amazing, and it’s disgraceful that Crowbar isn’t bigger than Metallica.  People shit all over that Kingdom Of Sorrow record because I guess they think dissing Jasta makes them cool or something.  But you can’t tell me that the two of them don’t sound fucking perfect together on that album.  If you don’t own it, I’m hereby ordering you to go buy it right now.  I’ll wait… Did you buy it yet?  No?  OK…  You really should go buy it though…

What is your favorite alcoholic drink?  And non-alcoholic drink?

I am partial to Jack and Cokes.  A bottle of Jack Daniels is always a safe gift to get me.  I don’t know what you mean by “non-alcoholic”.  Please clarify, as I am extremely drunk.

So, you were pretty pissed that none of your albums made MetalSucks’ big 21 Best Albums of the 21st Century So Far list.  What were your top 3?

Chris Cornell’s ‘Scream’, Staind’s ‘The Illusion Of Progress’, and Bret Michaels’ ‘Rock My World’.  How is it even possible that these didn’t make the cut?  It’s like people forgot what metal is all about.  DUH.  I nearly quit the site when I saw some band called Mastodon was voted #1.  Who the fuck is Mastodon?

What single album on the list pissed you off the most?

That’s a difficult one to answer, because honestly I’ve listened to maybe five out of the twenty-one on the list.  I suppose I’d choose In Flames’ ‘Clayman’ because that is the worst cover art I’ve ever fucking seen.

If you could watch a sex tape of any political pundit (or two) of your choice, who would it be, and why?

I’d like to see one where Rachel Maddow fucks Glenn Beck.  In the ass.  It would be a snuff video.

Besides black metal, what other metal sub genres do you hate?

All of them.  I write for a website called MetalSucks, yet sometimes I think I’m the only person who truly adheres to the spirit of the name.  Essentially, if a band considers itself “metal”, I pretty much hate it instantly.  Please send me your demos.

Are you auditioning for the second season of Daisy of Love?

No, but I’ve given serious thought to signing up for the second season of Megan Wants A Murderer.

Who else in the metal community do you think we should grill?

Zena Tsarfin.  You two should aspire to grow up to be her.  She’s written for loads of metal publications and will probably have a lot more to say than me.  Are we done here?  I gotta go meet a guy about a thing.

[Elise and Julia are the little ladies that started the big war.  They also like the way Gary ends his posts and decided to follow suit.  If you are a metal musician, blogger, photographer, DJ/VJ, roadie, merch dude, etc. (GUY OR GAL!), and would like to get probed by two cool chicks, please send them an email at: reigninblonde@gmail.com.  Are you following them on Twitter, yet?]

THE BR00TAL TR00TH - RICH

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to give the boys a chance.  For our third installment on THE BR00TAL TR00TH, we caught up with Mr. UVTV himself, Rich Stahle, to discuss life behind the camera, his love of facial hair, and his absolute favorite social networking site.  And incase y’all didn’t know, he’s kept some pretty good company the past couple years, too.  Tee hee.

So when/how was the idea for UVTV conceived?

It started as a show featuring local bands only, music videos then live videos. Then I started making connections to get national artist music videos and eventually to film them live so it shifted to become a more national artist show – though we still will feature local bands, unsigned artists and underground bands.

You recently moved from Syracuse to Chicago. How has this changed UVTV? Do you really like cold, blustery cities that much?

The move hasn’t changed UVTV much at all - in fact it has given UVTV more options as I have a crew in Syracuse and myself in Chicago now to film bands. Yes I like the cold - winter is my favorite season!

Is true you used to have a band back in the 80’s? And another one, presently?

Yup. It was called Spoiled Rotten and we did original 80’s hair metal, basically, in the Boston area. Recently I have a project called Hemorrhage, which isn’t really a band it is really me playing all the instruments, doing the production and recording.  I also did a project called Day Glo Crazies, which could best be described as industrial metal hip hop *lol*

How ridiculous has your beard been over the years?

At it’s worst – the Hemorrhage ‘Wore Me’ music video!

Would you ever go bald on top?

Doubt it. Haven’t yet and no one in my family has!

If heaven exists, what would it look like?

Boring. White. Sterile. Eternal. Lame. Hell is probably much more fun!

What is your favorite music video?

Damn way too many to list here! Usually something simple – like a performance video such as Whitesnake ‘Still Of The Night’ – all bands should’ve just quit after this came out, the it is the ultimate performance video *lol*

Any kooky mishaps while filming live bands?

Not really – the usual – falling over people, getting pushed by the crowd or pain in the ass power trip security getting in the way. And the occasional film crew person too drunk to be running a camera. Though one time filming Josh Todd in Syracuse some drunk ass kept pushing me from behind so I had to take him out with an ‘accidental’ elbow to the face.

Who is your metal man crush?

None. They are all too dirty and hairy!

Who are your wussy guilty pleasures? We heard something about Missy E…?

That … and some old stuff like Blondie, Devo, & Pat Benatar.

So how cool is Twitter??

Twitter is for twits I hate that website and am sick to death hearing about it.

We hear you have quite a sweet tooth. What is your favorite dessert?

Crumb cake! At least a the moment …

Puppies or kitties?

Kitties!

Who is your favorite UVTV VJ?

They all have their strengths – Wonderbread has charm and personality, Rainman brought his radio experience professionalism and JJ her true love and knowledge of all that is metal.

Who else in the metal community do you think we should grill?

Anyone and everyone especially those that are nerdy like Ben, the Goatwhore/Soilent Green lead singer.

If you are a metal musician, blogger, photographer, DJ/VJ, roadie, merch dude, etc. (GUY OR GAL!), and would like to get probed by two cool chicks, please send us an email at: reigninblonde@gmail.com.

THE BR00TAL TR00TH - ABBY

Remember when MTV used to play music?  Remember when MTV2 used to play music?  Then you might also remember Abby Gennet, the former host of MTV2 Rock and the singer/guitarist of Slunt.  Since her on-air days, Abby’s gotten hitched to former Fuel singer, Brett Scallions, and has welcomed a new ‘bandmate,’ a baby boy named Jagger.  We recently hit up the rockin’ songstress to discuss her new family life, her high school cheerleading days, life on the road, and her new band she is currently forming with a glam metal great.

So what’s going on with you these days?

Just looking for a lead guitar player. Proving to be very hard, I can’t find one. We’ve had a couple of random girls but we can’t seem to find one that’s really rockin’.

An all girl band?

Yeah, just starting a new project called Riot Brides, and we’re doing it with Stephen Pearcy from Ratt. He’s always wanted to put an all girl band together, so a mutual friend hooked us up and we’ve been putting it all together, writing and recording, laying down some demos. He’s like, “As soon as you’re ready you’re opening up for Ratt!” and I’m like, “Sweet!!!” So that’s the goal right now. I’m actually playing rhythm guitar in this band. Stephen didn’t want the front person to be playing guitar, so I chose to rock the axe and we have this chick Gabriella singing… she’s fierce.

So let’s go way back when: How did you get into being a cheerleader in high school? Do you think that there’s any sort of correlation between cheerleading and metal? Does one lead to the other?

You know, I guess I’m just a ham. That was my way of getting attention back in high school. I guess now it’s kind of the same, except now I’m on stage and I have a guitar strapped on my back. For the record, I was the only cheerleader with blue nail-polish and big hair-sprayed hair, so I was the rockin’ metal cheerleader. I was in a band back then, too, called Fuschia Five and we played “Cum On Feel The Noize,” but we really never got anywhere with that. Later on, I was out at shows a lot taking pictures and got really into photography, so I stopped playing for a while.  Then I moved to New York and I was shooting all these bands and I realized “I don’t want to shoot the bands, I want to be the band,” and that’s how Slunt got put together.  We started jamming and writing quirky little songs and people were diggin’ them. It was like a hobby gone wild and it was great!

What’s the status with Slunt right now?

We never actually broke up, so technically we’re on hiatus. Like, say Lemmy called us and said “We’re doing a show at the Willtern and we want you to open,” we would make it happen.  But, Pat, our lead guitarist, still lives in New York and it’s not really easy for us to get together and play. People say to me “There’s a million guitar players, why don’t you just do it with a new guitar player?” and that’s definitely a non-musician person talking, there. That’s like saying there’s tons of guys out there, why don’t you try a new one to be your boyfriend? Slunt is a family. A very dysfunctional family, but it’s a family. I would never do Slunt without Pat and Charles. I’m not sure I see a big future with Slunt right now, but we actually just recently played at Pat’s wedding, at his rehearsal dinner. But that was a couple months ago. I’ll always love Slunt and hopefully I’ll be able to get out and jam with them again, but it’s too hard to put together just for fun.

Back when you were together, you toured with Paul Stanley?

Yeah, that was our last big tour that we did. It was really fun. He’s such a cool guy. I was never really a big KISS fan, but going out with Paul was great. He’s such a sweetheart. I got to appreciate the music more, looking at it through his eyes. Now I love them.

So did Slunt come before or after your VJ gig on MTV2?

It came before my VJ gig. MTV2 was looking for a female to host MTV2 Rock, and I guess the people before weren’t informed enough about rock n roll…

Yeah, ya think?

Well, when you’re interviewing bands and talking to musicians it really helps if you know what you’re talking about, so they were looking for a female musician to do it. A friend called me telling me to audition for it, and I never thought I would actually get it cause I’d never done anything like that before, but I went in and I got it!

Are you still snapping pictures at all?

I do, yeah. I don’t really shoot bands anymore, but I hooked up with this guy in Switzerland who used a lot of my prints for posters and they actually do really well, especially in Europe. One of them does really well, it’s called Toliet Cam where it’s just a bunch of shots over a toilet with random stuff going on- people having sex, people doing drugs, someone giving birth… After that I did a Bed Cam one and I just did a Crib Cam one cause now I’m in “babyland” and doing lots of baby stuff. It’s a totally G-Rated poster.

Speaking of babies, how did you meet your husband Brett?

We met at a bar in NYC. We were both there one night and met through a mutual friend. We just started talking and really hit it off. We started dating, a couple years later we got married, a couple years after that we had a little boy.

What kind of wedding did you two have? Was it a bizarre rock n roll wedding or was it more traditional?

We went pretty traditional, but we did little things that weren’t. I’m originally from Miami so we had it on the beach. It was perfect weather and it was just really gorgeous. But for everyone in the wedding party we made these laminates that looked like backstage passes that said “Abby and Brett’s Wedding Extravaganza.” So they were walking around the hotel with them on. During the dinner we had metal ballads on in the background. Metal enough for us, but soft enough so that all the grandmas didn’t freak out about all the rock n roll music.

And then came along little Jagger…

He’s not so little anymore! He just turned 22 months and he’s wild. He makes us laugh every minute.

Does he like your music and his dad’s music?

He LOVES music. He loves any kind of music. We have a studio in the house and all he wants to do is go in and play the drums. So he goes in with his little noise-cancelling headphones and bangs away. He actually has pretty good rhythm. We bend the microphone down to his level and he sings “Cherry Bomb.” We were auditioning girls for the band and that was one of the songs we used, so he just latched onto it and he loves it.

So to change gears a little bit, in a lot of pictures we see of you, you have these enormous huge boots that are like 7 inches high…

Yeah, I like my platforms. Those are my stage boots. You know, you got to be supersized when you’re up on stage entertaining people! It makes you feel like a superhero. I’m like 5’5”, so they make me about 5’9”, but now I’m in California and it’s all about flips flops here. Plus carrying a baby around and wearing platforms isn’t such a good idea…

Who would you say is your biggest musical idol?

Jimmy Page, by far. That’s my man. He’s influenced me forever. Led Zeppelin is my favorite band, and I’ve always been influenced by 80’s hair bands like Ratt, too, but definitely as far as musically influencing my playing, I’d say Jimmy Page. I just love him. He’s a happy guy and has good vibes, and now he’s got white hair which is awesome!

So having toured all over the country…what city would you say has the hottest rock dudes?

Ya know, middle America isn’t really up on their hot rock-ness. I’d have to say either New York or LA. Those two scenes are really pulsing and people are up on their fashion. People take their look to the next level.

What about Alabama?

We had some really great shows down there, but we never really….

You didn’t hang with the locals?

Well we always hang with the locals, but do we hang with the locals? That’s another question. One or two of the bass players past, may have dove into the Alabama scene more than the rest of us. I was never really the bad girl on the road. We always left that to the bass player, or as we used to call her: our sacrificial lamb whore.

So who do you think would win in a fight: you or Jim Shearer?

Probably him, because he’s a lot bigger than I am. Although, I  do like to fight dirty. I wouldn’t fight him, though. He was one of the sweetest, nicest guys to work with.

What is your drink of choice?

Jack Daniels, all the way. I have been known to chug straight from the bottle, but if I’m going out at a bar, I’ll order it with Diet Coke and some lemon.

A very important question, which is hotter: baldies or beardos?

I like facial hair. I’m not so into the bald thing, personally. [Editor’s note: Elise is 0-2 on this one.]

Who else in the metal community do you think we should grill?

You should interview the Riot Brides! We’re going to be rockin’ soon. Coming soon to a dive bar near you!

If you are a metal musician, blogger, photographer, DJ/VJ, roadie, merch dude, etc. (GUY OR GAL!), and would like to get probed by two cool chicks, please send us an email at: reigninblonde@gmail.com.

THE BR00TAL TR00TH - NOA

We at Reign in Blonde have a new feature we are debuting on the site today: an interview series with some of our favorite people in the metal community, appropriately titled THE BR00TAL TR00TH. If you are a metal blogger, photographer, DJ/VJ, roadie, merch dude, etc., and would like to get probed by two cool chicks, please send us an email at: reigninblonde@gmail.com.

For our first edition of THE BR00TAL TR00TH, we have targeted fellow blonde & bad ass, Noa from Metal Injection to discuss her favorite music, hot metal dudes, video games, and of course, those other monstrous beings of the MI clan.  You can listen to Noa on the Metal Injection Livecast every Friday @ 10pm.

Where are you from? How did you get involved with Metal Injection?

I was born in Israel and moved to Brooklyn when I was 7. I met Rob in High School and I met Frank, Sid and Darren in college. We all became really good friends through our college radio station and that is really the only thing I appreciated about that school. Five years ago we were sitting around one night toking off the ganj when we came across this public access show that was showing a metal band playing live. The live footage was just damn awful and all you could hear from the interview was background noise. In a cloud of smoke the idea of Metal Injection came about, we all thought we could do it better and we were sick and tired of bands not getting any outlet for their music. This was before Headbanger’s Ball came back or sites like Youtube. So we asked labels if they could send us videos and we created comedy skits to fill time in between. Frank laboriously edited the 30 min episodes for our 3am Brooklyn Public Access timeslot.

So how many people misspell your name on a daily basis?  Did all of the clever 3rd graders used to sing “Who Built the Ark?” at you?

Everyone spells my name wrong. Except the barista dude at Starbucks, he spelled my name right on the coffee cup and he doesn’t even know me. I was shocked, then I remembered I paid $4 for coffee and became angry again. I don’t talk to kids, they frighten me. Adults however always ask me if I have an ark. I say yes.

Are you a natural blonde?

Um. Let’s just say whatever is left of the carpet…doesn’t match the drapes. hahaha.

Do you support a person’s right to get baked during work hours? Does it increase productivity?

I support the right that supports a person’s right to make their own choices when it comes to bodily harm or pleasure. It never makes me more productive…

What three bands could you not live without?

This is a tough one because the way that I listen to music changes with the seasons. I always find myself going back to one of my roots, Pantera; Dime was a guitar god, whoever said you need to play extra fast and million notes needs to reconsider their musical foundation. He could change my pulse with a simple note bend at the right time. He was music itself. Kamelot is always in the shuffle. Hey what do you want? I am a girl…I find that music enchanting. I also definitely can’t live without Moonsorrow, especially during the winter, I like the imagery the music gives me of northern frost, bearskin cloaked warriors and white snowy forests. It’s fantastic.

On Wednesdays we do a feature called Wussy Wednesday.  What’s your favorite non-metal music? Who do you like to wuss out to?

My favorite non-metal music is contemporary Jazz. I’ve been studying with this amazing Jazz guitarist who expanded my musical horizon. I love music that’s outside, I totally geek out to altered chords. I love Pat Metheny, Chic Corea, Michael Brecker etc. But I don’t want to scare away the brutal and necro metalheads that visit your site so I would nominate the Alex Skolnick Trio for Wussy Wednesday.

What band would be your dream Metal Injection interview?

Not so much a band, my dream Metal Injection interview would be with Marty Friedman and actually it wouldn’t even be an interview but more of a guitar lesson. I just hope he wouldn’t expect me to pay for it. I’m such a Jew… I’d love to hear about his days with Jason Becker, if Jeff Loomis really did try out for Cacophony and if he’s willing to take me back with him to Japan.

What kind of crazy stuff do those Metal Injection dudes have you do behind the scenes? What’s the dirt on them, anyway?

It usually varies. I am the keeper of the studio and what that means is that they usually turn my house upside down for episode shoots. I’ve gotten to take photos, do interviews and help out with whatever they need. I also produce the Metal Injection Livecast, a weekly live talk podcast that I do with the guys. The most dirt is in Rob’s buttcrack. Frank is pretty clean. Darren likes to eat Schwarma and innoculate the room with his torpedo farts…and Sid, well he really hates Cynic and I really hate him.

Who are the hottest dudes in metal?

Oh man, I am totally gonna girl out on this one. Jon Schaffer is a hot mofo, Isahn, Alexi Laiho, Peter Wildoer and the dudes in Elvenking (inside Livecast joke!).

Is it true that you and Dave Mustaine have a little ‘thing’ going on?

Yea if by ‘thing’ you mean nothing… it’s true.

Who would you rather…Dio or Ozzy?

Past or present? If we’re talking about present I’d rather the guy who doesn’t use autotune when he sings on Jimmy Kimmel Live. It’s ok we know you’re old and we accept you. At this point it doesn’t matter.

….Dr. Wily or Robotnik?

Don’t even get me started on that Dr. Wily. I’ve been stuck on the final level of Mega Man 3 for the last 5 months. I didn’t want to look up how to beat him online …but figures the most useless suit would beat the game.

Do you have a favorite woman in metal?

Yes I have a few actually. I love Kimberly Goss from Sinergy, Elisa Martin ex-Dark Moor, Dreamaker and Fairyland and Simone Simons from Epica.

As a more fashionably inclined female in metal, is there anything absolutely awful that you see people (particularly guys) wear at shows that is just a strain to your eyes?

Me? Fashionable? If only my mom could hear this. Honestly, the only thing that I can’t stand at metal shows is when guys wear those big raver pants, but I try to avoid shows that bring that crowd out. I can’t get enough of leather, denim, sweat or hair. I really try not to judge people by what they wear but by the band name on their t-shirt.

If you were stuck on a desert island with the whole Metal Injection family, and you had no food…who would you eat first? Why?

I would eat Sid, because he seems the most tender.

The most important question of all….Baldies or beardos?

I am with Julia on this one. I love my men grizzly.

Who else in the metal community do you think we should grill?

I don’t think it’s right to eat humans. But just make sure you season well if you’re really gonna go for it… oh wait? did you mean grill as in ask questions? I say Ian Christe. That guy knows everything about metal. His book Sound of the Beast quelled my morning rush hour train ride for a good 2 weeks. He writes about the most obscure bands and metal happenings on his blog.Bazillionpoints.com. He is a metalhead with a metal job that’s not a band and I admire that.